Gary Burns' waydowntown, a comedy about a group of young people who make a bet about who can last the longest without going outside, won the Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at this year's Toronto International Film Festival which finished on Saturday. A domestic distribution deal for the film is also understood to be in the works.

Denis Villeneuve's Maelstrom got a special mention in the category as did the screenplay by Karen Walton of horror movie Ginger Snaps. The CityTV award for Best Canadian First Feature Film went to The Left-Hand Side Of The Fridge (La Moitie Gauche Du Frigo) directed by Philippe Falardeau about two best friends whose friendship is put to the test when they decide to make a documentary film. Anthony Couture's red deer got a special mention.

Meanwhile Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon continued its triumphant procession through the festival circuit winning the Benson & Hedges Film People's Choice Award voted by audiences. Rob Sitch's Australian comedy The Dish (Australia) won the second prize and Paul Cox's Innocence (Australia) and Stephen Daldry's Billy Elliot (UK) shared third prize.

David Gordon Green's George Washington (US) and Baltasar Kormakur's 101 Reykjavik (Iceland) shared the first prize in the Volkswagen Discovery Award category. Second place was also tied between Marzieyh Meshkini's The Day I Became A Woman (Iran) and Youngyooth Thongkonthun's The Iron Ladies (Thailand). Meanwhile the FIPRESCI foreign press award went to Oxide Pang and Danny Pang's Bangkok Dangerous (Thailand).