Outstanding films recognized at VFF Awards
Vaughan Weekly
April 9, 2014
By Angela Gismondi
Two high school students were presented with $1,500 scholarships which will go towards their post secondary education in the arts. This year’s recipients were Sabrina Cappelli from St. Elizabeth Catholic High School and Connie Lee from Father Bressani Catholic High School. The award was presented by festival directors Mark Pagliaroli and Antonio Ienco and Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua.
The second annual Vaughan Film Festival (VFF) hit the big screen last week.
The three-day festival consisted of two days of screenings for student, local and international films at Colossus Woodbridge. The festival culminated with an awards gala recognizing the filmmakers that were nominated from this year’s VFF film lineup. The show was hosted by ET Canada’s Rick Campanelli and held at Riviera Parque in Concord.
The event featured a red carpet, live performances and the presentation of awards for films, filmakers and actors. The 2014 award winners were:
- Best Cinematography - Bad Mother**********
- Best Animation - Slug Invasion
- Best Actress - Jenny Raven in Long Branch
- Best Actor - Liang Ming in Singer Not The Song
- Best Director - Lee Ventura for The Great Maldini
- Best Film - Singer Not The Song
Award winning actress Fatima Ptacek returned for this years film festival. Ptacek starred as Sophie, in Shawn Christensen’s Oscar winning short film “Curfew,” first screened at the Vaughan Film Festival, 2013. This year, Ptacek was presented with a special Leadership Award, the first ever presented at the Vaughan Film Festival.
“I am so honoured to receive this award,” said the 13-year-old actress. “I’m sure the Vaughan Film Festival is going to grow even more over the next few years and I am so proud that I was here from the beginning.”
Actors were in attendance to hand out awards. Those who made an appearance include Andrew Jackson (All My Children/Sea Wolf), Gemini Award Nominee Ellen Dubin (The Listener/Dead Before Dawn) and actor Robert Mauriell (The Listener,Lost Girl, Murodch Mysteries). Producer Thom Ernst (TVO’s Saturday Night At The Movies) and actress Kim Roberts (Global TV’s Remedy, FX’s The Strain) were also at the awards gala. Nick Cannon’s Boy Band 4Count performed for the crowd.
VFF’S goal is to give aspiring filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their talent and interact with other members of the film community. The festival is especially proud to provide a platform that opens doors to allow entry for young filmmakers in and around the Vaughan community.
