Vaughan film fest award nominees announced

Yorkregion.com
May 1, 2015
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Three flicks - one from Germany, one from Mexico and one from Canada - are in the running for best film at this year’s Vaughan Film Festival.

The nominees for the award - The Late Bird (Germany), Never Come Back (Mexico) and The Present (Canada) - were announced at Tuesday night’s spring launch event, featuring YTV host Carlos Bustamante, inside The Promenade shopping mall in Thornhill.

In total, there are 19 award nominees in six categories, including best animated film, best cinematography, best actor, best actress, best director and best film.

The Late Bird, directed by Sascha Vrendenburg, tells the story of 71-year old Thea who realizes, after her best friend passes away, that she wants to expand her horizons before she dies.

She and her husband always planned on taking a big trip beyond the borders of their small village once he retired, but it has been years since that happened and they still haven’t gone anywhere.

When Thea encounters an astronaut whose spacecraft has crashed, it opens up the possibility for her to start all over again.

Never Come Back, directed by Leonardo Diaz, follows two young friends who agree to take on the job of watching over an illegal business without truly weighing the risks.

Diaz is also up for best director while Cristian Alvarez is vying for best actor.

The Present, directed by Hank Devos, is billed as a science fiction love story. It’s about a man named Jeremy who attempts to re-connect with the love of his life by travelling back in time, despite knowing the tragic outcome will never change.

Devos is also in the running for best director.

Rounding out the nominees in that category is Guillermo Ruotolo, director of The Opening of the Nut (Germany).

“The selection was much more difficult this year because of the calibre of films that we got and we’re ecstatic about the variety of countries that are nominated this year,” festival co-founder Mark Pagliaroli said.

Winners will be announced May 28 at the awards show, being held at the Paramount Conference and Event Venue, that wraps up the four-day film festival.

Screenings take place May 25 and May 27 at Cineplex Cinemas Vaughan.

Tickets are $10 per screening.

An industry workshop on special effects make-up, led by The School of Makeup Art, is May 26 at Vellore Community Centre, 1 Villa Royale Ave, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information visit, vaughanfilmfestival.com.