The 33rd Toronto International Film Festival announced its awards at the Awards Reception at the Intercontinental on Front Street on September 13, 2008.

AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM
The award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to Chris Chong Chan Fui's "Block B." The film examines the lives of an expatriate Indian community weaving itself through the contradicting soundscapes of contemporary Malaysia. The jury notes: "simple, graphic, hypnotic - this is an achievement of bringing cinema to its bare essentials." A special citation goes to Denis Villeneuve's Next Floor. The short film jury members are filmmakers Louise Archambault and Min Sook Lee, and Rotterdam International Film Festival programmer Peter van Hoof. The award offers a $10,000 cash prize and is supported by the National Film Board of Canada.

CITYTV AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
The Citytv Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film goes to Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu's "Before Tomorrow" "for its arresting beauty, its humanist, innovative storytelling and its artistic integrity in capturing the narrative of a people through an intimate tale." Based on the novel by acclaimed Danish author Jørn Riel, "Before Tomorrow" is a moving drama about a strong Inuit woman and her beloved grandson, who become trapped on a remote island as they face the ultimate challenge of survival. A special citation goes to Lyne Charlebois' "Borderline." Established by Citytv, the award carries a cash prize of $15,000.

CITY OF TORONTO-CITYTV AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
The City of Toronto-Citytv Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to Rodrigue Jean's "Lost Song." Elisabeth (Suzie LeBlanc), Pierre (Patrick Goyette) and their new-born baby move to a summer cottage in a remote area north of Montreal. Isolation and the difficulty of coping with her new situation and surroundings send Elisabeth into a spiral of depression. The jury described the film as "constantly surprising," and "profound, masterful and devastatingly sad." A special citation goes to Atom Egoyan's "Adoration." Generously co-sponsored by the City of Toronto and Citytv, the City of Toronto-Citytv Award for Best Canadian Feature Film carries a cash prize of $30,000.

CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARDS JURY
Winners of the Citytv Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film and the City of Toronto-Citytv Award for Best Canadian Feature Film were selected by a jury of film industry professionals, consisting of filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming, filmmaker and actor Sarah Polley, programmer for the Locarno Film Festival Vincenzo Bugno, and producer Michael Burns.

DIESEL DISCOVERY AWARD
The Diesel Discovery award goes to Steve McQueen's Hunger. The film follows Bobby Sands and the other political inmates of Northern Ireland's Maze Prison in 1981 as they seek to gain special category status for republican prisoners. The Festival press corps, which consists of 1000 international media, voted on the Diesel Discovery Award. The award offers a $10,000 cash prize and a custom award sponsored by DIESEL Canada.

PRIZE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICS (FIPRESCI PRIZE)
The Festival welcomed an international FIPRESCI jury for the 17th consecutive year. This year's jury was expanded and considered eligible films in the Discovery and Special Presentation programs. The jury members consist of jury president Jonathan Rosenbaum (USA), Nick Roddick (United Kingdom), Elie Castiel (Canada), Ranjita Biswas (India), Kim Linekin (Canada) and Pablo Scholz (Argentina).

The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery is awarded to Derick Martini's Lymelife. From the filmmaking team behind Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire (TIFF 1999) comes an examination of first love, family dynamics and the American Dream in late 1970s Long Island, as seen through the innocent eyes of a 15-year-old. Scott Bartlett (Rory Culkin) is a gentle boy - a direct contrast to his blustery father, Mickey (Alec Baldwin). After an outbreak of Lyme disease hits their suburban community, the lives of the Bartletts and their neighbours begin to crumble in the wake of illness, confrontation and paranoia.

The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Special Presentations is awarded to Steve Jacobs' "Disgrace." Professor David Lurie's (John Malkovich) life falls apart after he has an impulsive affair with one of his students. Forced to resign from Cape Town University, he escapes to his daughter's farm in the Eastern Cape. Their relationship is tested when they both become victims of a vicious attack. In order not to lose the love of his daughter, David stands by her as she accepts her tragic circumstances. She continues her life on the farm and their individual disgrace finally settles to an uneasy grace.

CADILLAC PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
The Cadillac People's Choice Award is voted on by Festival audiences. This year's award goes to Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire." From acclaimed director Danny Boyle comes a story about a kid with nothing, who has everything to lose. Jamal Malik, an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?" Arrested on suspicion of cheating, he tells the police the amazing tale of his life on the streets, and of the girl he loved and lost. But what is a kid with no interest in money doing on the show? And how does he know all the answers? First runner-up is Kristopher Belman's "More Than A Game" and the second runner-up is Cyrus Nowrasteh's "The Stoning of Soraya M." The award offers a $15,000 cash prize and custom award, sponsored by Cadillac.

TIFF '07 came to a close on Septemeber 15 with a highly-anticipated Awards Reception at the Fairmont Royal York where the following films and filmmakers were honored for thier talent.

AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM: "POOL"
Directed by: Chris Chong Chan Fui

The jury states, "in an unforgettable film about overcoming devastation, the main and title character is a water reservoir." The award goes to "POOL" for telling us this story with restraint, subtlety and compassion." The 2007 short film jury members are filmmaker Brad Peyton; Director of Original Production for Showcase, Rachel Fulford, and Berlin-based curator Stefanie Schulte Strathaus. The award offers a $10,000 cash prize.

CITYTV AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM: "CONTINENTAL, UN FILM SANS FUSIL"
Directed by: Stéphane Lafleur

The film follows four people whose lives unexpectedly intersect due to one man's disappearance in the woods. The jury is pleased to present this award to "a film with singular vision, an economical and subtle beauty and a cinematic maturity that belies the director's relative inexperience." Established by sponsor Citytv, the award carries a cash prize of $15,000. The Citytv Award was presented by Larysa Harapyn, reporter, associate producer and presenter of Star! Daily.

TORONTO-CITY AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM: "MY WINNIPEG"
Directed by: Guy Maddin

Maddin's very personal portrait of his hometown is a poetic meditation - a docu-fantasia - on Winnipeg's history as well as his own childhood. The jury states "in a year when many masters of Canadian cinema have made new and exciting movies, one film stands above as a work of remarkable ingenuity, originality and that, within its specific, personal vision finds a universal appeal." Generously co-sponsored by the City of Toronto and Citytv, the Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film carries a cash prize of $30,000.

CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARDS JURY
Winners of the Citytv Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film and the Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film were selected by a jury of film industry professionals, consisting of filmmakerJennifer Baichwal, winner of last year's Best Canadian Feature Film award for her film MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES; award-winning actor Colm Feore (BON COP, BAD COP; THIRTY TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD); acclaimed producer Roger Frappier (JÉSUS DE MONTREAL, MAELSTRÖM); and Olivier Père, head of programming at Cinémathèque Française, and Artistic Director of the Directors Fortnight.

DIESEL DISCOVERY AWARD: "COCHOCHI"
Directed by: Laura Amelia Guzmán

After returning home from elementary boarding school, two brothers Tony (Luis Antonio Lerma Torres) and Evaristo (Evaristo Lerma Torres) are sent to deliver a package to a far community in the Sierra Tarahumara, Mexico, by their grandfather. Without permission, the brothers take the family horse but lose the horse and one another after making a wrong turn. They each then embark on a separate adventure, leading them to discover a new world. The Festival press corps, which consists of 1000 international media, voted on the DIESEL Discovery Award. The award offers a $10,000 cash prize and custom award sponsored by DIESEL Canada.

ARTISTIC INNOVATION AWARD: "ENCARNACIÓN"
Directed by: Anahí Berneri's

The Artistic Innovation Award honours the artistry, innovation and audacity of one of the Festival's inventive Visions titles as selected by an international industry jury of major visual artists. This is the second feature film by Anahí Berneri (A YEAR WITHOUT LOVE). The film is the story of aging B-list actress Erni Levier (Silvia Pérez) who decides to make the difficult trip back to her hometown and face her family who knew her as Encarnación - the girl who fled to the city to sell her body in salacious B-films. The jury notes that the film "stands out for its economy of vision. We attribute this to its superb direction and editing. We appreciate the director's ability to render the fetishized female body in a distilled and forceful examination of both the "movie star" and "movie industry" and their relationship to everyday life. " The jury consists of Dutch multimedia artist Lonnie van Brummelen; Vancouverbased influential pioneering photoconceptual artist Ian Wallace and renowned curator Christopher Eamon. The award offers a $10,000 cash prize.

PRIZE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICS (FIPRESCI PRIZE): "LA ZONA"
Directed by: Rodrigo Plá

This prize is annually bestowed upon a feature film directed by an emerging filmmaker, and making its world premiere at the Festival. The Festival welcomed an international FIPRESCI jury for the 16th consecutive year. The 2007 jury consists of jury president Grégory Valens (France), Pamela Biénzobas (Chile), Scott Foundas (USA), and Katherine Monk (Canada).

CADILLAC PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD: "EASTERN PROMISES"
Directed by: David Cronenberg

Cronenberg reunites with his A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE leading man Viggo Mortensen for a new thriller. EASTERN PROMISES follows the mysterious and ruthless Nikolai (Mortensen), a Russian gangster tied to one of London's most notorious organized crime families. His carefully maintained existence is shaken when he crosses paths with Anna (Naomi Watts), an innocent midwife who accidentally uncovers potential evidence against the family.

First Runner-Up: "JUNO"
Directed by: Jason Reitman

Second Runner-Up: "BODY OF WAR"
Directed by: Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro

The award offers a $15,000 cash prize and custom award, sponsored by Cadillac.

The Festival is a presentation of The Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG), a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world. Its vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image.

Canada First! and Short Cuts Canada programmes are generously sponsored by Star! and etalk.

The Citytv Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film is generously sponsored by Citytv.

The Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film is generously co-sponsored by the City of Toronto and Citytv.

Discovery and the DIESEL Discovery Award are generously sponsored by DIESEL Canada.

The Cadillac People's Choice Award is generously sponsored by Cadillac.

The Awards Reception is generously hosted by the Fairmont Royal York.