This past Friday night, at a swank gala event at Toronto’s Drake Hotel, two VFS Film grads took home major awards in the first ever Air Canada enRoute Student Film Festival.

Check out our exclusive video from the red carpet, including interviews with the filmmakers:

 
At the Gala Awards Ceremony, Parallels by Paul St. Amand won the Canadian Reflections Award, which includes a trip to this year’s Whistler Film Festival. Aaron Beckum won the DGC Achievement in Direction Award for his film Who Wants To Be An Amerikan. His prize includes a trip to the 2008 Directors Guild of Canada Awards Gala.

Organizers of the festival approached 120 film schools, receiving over 200 short film submissions. A total of 19 student films (5 of them by VFS students) were selected to screen on Air Canada flights between July and October. Of the six student films under consideration for awards at the Gala Ceremony, three were by VFS students, and two of these were shortlisted for Best Student Film — Parallels, and Alibi Inc. by Gregoire Bedard.

The nominees and winners were selected by a jury that included Atom Egoyan and Donald Sutherland.