Gilbert Kwong’s “When Swallows Stop Singing”, about a Canadian immigrant who returns to Hong Kong for his father’s funeral, won the 2009 NFB Best Canadian Short Award at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, which ran from November 5 to 8, at the VAFF’s Filmmakers’ Luncheon on Sunday (November 8).

Cuong Ngo’s “The Golden Pin” and Albert M. Chan’s “Fate Scores” came in second and third place respectively.

In an interview at Cinemark Tinseltown prior to the festival, VAFF president Barbara Lee told the Straight that corporate sponsorship was down by 80 percent this year and she was disappointed that no one from the “wealthy Asian community” had provided any private donations by that point.

Similarly, executive director Ian Merkel of the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival (which concludes on Wednesday, November 11)  had told the Straight in September that local Jewish  community grants, usually representing $5,000 to $10,000 each year, had declined over the past year.

Like many other local film festivals, including the VJFF, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, and the Vancouver International Film Festival, VAFF didn’t receive a B.C. Direct Access gaming grant this year due to provincial arts cuts.

However, the City of Vancouver did provide a $7,000 grant.

According to VAFF director Peter Leung, sell-out screenings at this year's festival  included Children of Invention and the locally shot Dim Sum Funeral.