Montreal filmmaker ClaudeGagnon did not win the top prize but his film Kamataki walkedaway with five major awards as the Montreal World Film Festival wrapped up its29th edition on Monday.
Kamataki, a Canada-Japan coproduction, won the AudiencePrize, the FIPRESCI Prize, the Ecumenical Prize and the Prize for The MostPopular Canadian Film while the World Competition jury presented Gagnon withthe prize for Best Direction. Gagnon won the top prize, the Grand Prix of theAmericas, back in 1987 for The Kid Brother.
The jury, headed by Greekauteur Theo Angelopoulos, gave the festival's biggest prize - the Grand prixdes Ameriques to Dutch film-maker Pieter Kujipers for Off Screen.
Two film-makers shared thejury prize - Japanese filmmaker Akita Ogata for The Milkwoman (Itsuka Dokusho Surushi) and Germany's Hans W. Geissendorfer for Snowland.
Jan Decleir won the BestActor prize for his work in Off Screen. Adriana Ozores won the Best Actress award for Heroine while screenwriting kudos went to Spanish duo JoseCorbacho and Juan Cruz, also co-directors, for Tapas.
An innovation prize waspresented to filmmaker Lisa Ohlin for her direction of actors in her film Sex,Hopp & Karlek. The prize forBest Artistic Contribution was awarded to camera operator Arek Tomiak for hiswork on Franco de Pena's Your Name Is Justine.
In the First FilmCompetition, Philippine director Aureaus Solito was the Golden Zenith for L'Epanoussementde Maximo Oliveros, while Silverwent to Truth Or Dare byGermany's Jan Martin Scharf and Arne Nolting and Bronze to US director HunterRichard's London. Pietro Reggianiof Italy received an Honourary Mention for L'Estate Di Mio Fratello.
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