Definitely a favourite here at the Straight, Kat Jayme’s “Finding Big Country" also scored big with VIFF viewers at today's closing ceremonies (October 12), bagging the Super Channel People’s Choice Award for highest audience-ranked film at this year’s festival.

The VIFF Audience Awards were handed out prior to the gala screening of The Front Runner. (Accompanied by video messages from star Hugh Jackman and director Jason Reitman.)

Haida-language feature Edge of the Knife added the Most Popular Canadian Feature award to the two B.C. Spotlight prizes it collected last weekend.

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters was named Most Popular International Feature, while Bathtubs Over Broadway took the award for Most Popular International Documentary.

Jury awards were also announced, with Stephanie Soechtig’s The Devil We Know receiving a well-deserved Impact Award for best issue-oriented documentary, which comes with a $5 thousand prize presented by the Lochmaddy Foundation.

In a stiff competition, The Silence of Others and Samouni Road both received special mentions.

Finally, the Vancouver Women in Film and Television Artistic Merit Awards went to Patricia Rozema for Mouthpiece (drama) and Christy Garland for What Walaa Wants (documentary).