3 Canadian films win prizes at Czech festival

Three Canadian films have brought home awards from a Czech film festival that also paid tribute toQuebec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival awarded the International Federation of Film Critics' (FIPRESCI) prize to Collaborator, a Canada-U.S. co-venture produced by Toronto's Luca Matrundolaof DViant Films.

Adebut effort by Canadian-based actor-director Martin Donovan, the film also earned a best actor award for AmericanperformerDavid Morse, who plays an ex-con who takes a man hostage as he visits the place where he grew up.

Sunflower Hour, a mockumentary directed by Vancouver's Aaron Houston about four puppeteers vying for one spot on a children's TV show, won the Independent Camera Award from Czech Television.

Romo Onze, from Montreal filmmaker Ivan Grbovic, received a special mentionfrom the Ecumenical Jury. The movie follows a handicapped man and his internetrelationships.

The 2011 Karlovy Vary festival, which ran July 1-9,devoted part of its program to a retrospective of the work of Villeneuve, director of Polytechnique and Incendies.

In news release issued Monday, Canadian film funding agency Telefilm noted that an audience competition resulted in three Canadian titles making the fest's Top 10:Incendies (no. 3), Collaborator (no. 4) and Sunflower Hour (no. 8). They were chosen from the 199 features screened at the festival.

Israel's Restoration won the festival's $30,000 top prize, known as the Crystal Globe.