Wednesday, January 3----The Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG) announced the top ten Canadian films of 2006 this evening at the annual Canada's Top Ten industry event, hosted by actors Sylvie Moreau and Dave Foley. Public screenings with introductions and Q&As by filmmakers and panel discussions will be held from January 26 to February 4 at Cinematheque Ontario in Toronto.

Canada's Top Ten films are chosen by a 10-member, national panel of filmmakers, journalists, programmers, and industry professionals. "This year has been phenomenal for Canadian cinema both critically and commercially," said Piers Handling, Director and CEO, Toronto International Film Festival Group. "The diversity of genres and subjects featured in Canada's Top Ten highlight the extraordinary filmmaking talent in this country. These films give audiences a chance to experience the stories our filmmakers are telling, challenge our notions of cinema, and can even change the way we view the world."

The top ten Canadian films of 2006 are (in alphabetical order):

AWAY FROM HER - Sarah Polley (Capri Releasing Inc.)
CONGORAMA - Philippe Falardeau (Christal Films Distribution)
UN DIMANCHE À KIGALI - Robert Favreau (Equinoxe Films)
THE JOURNALS OF KNUD RASMUSSEN - Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn (Alliance Atlantis* Motion Picture Distribution)
MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES - Jennifer Baichwal (Mongrel Media)
MONKEY WARFARE - Reginald Harkema (Odeon Films)
RADIANT CITY - Gary Burns and Jim Brown (Odeon Films and National Film Board of Canada)
SHARKWATER - Rob Stewart (Alliance Atlantis* Motion Picture Distribution)
SUR LA TRACE D'IGOR RIZZI - Noël Mitrani (Atopia Distribution)
TRAILER PARK BOYS THE MOVIE - Mike Clattenburg (Alliance Atlantis* Motion Picture Distribution)

Canada's Top Ten films are chosen by a 10-member, national panel of filmmakers, journalists, programmers, and industry professionals:

Lorraine Clark - freelance producer
Helen du Toit - Program Director, The Vancouver Film & Television Forum
Manon Dumais - film editor, Voir Montréal
Thom Fitzgerald - filmmaker, 3 NEEDLES (2005), THE WILD DOGS (2002) and THE HANGING GARDEN (1997)
David Hamilton - producer, WATER (2005), BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD (2002), EARTH (1998), and FIRE (1996)
Liz Jarvis - producer, SEVEN TIMES LUCKY (2004) and producer with Buffalo Gal Pictures in Winnipeg.
Raymond Massey - producer, LONG LIFE, HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY (2002), SUSPICIOUS RIVER (2000) and WHALE MUSIC (1994), and producer with Network Entertainment in Vancouver
Aubrey Nealon - filmmaker, A SIMPLE CURVE (2005)
Marguerite Pigott - programmer, Toronto International Film Festival and script consultant
Jean-Marc Vallée - filmmaker, C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) and LISTE NOIRE (1995)

Sandy Mandelberger
Awards Watch Editor