The snow is falling, and yet another calgary International Film Festival is in the books. This year saw a handy number of pre-sale sellouts, in addition to some great crowds and fantastic films.

While the sixteen films I had the pleasure of seeing this year were all quite excellent (Not a single terrible one, though some were underwhelming), I have decided to try to make a list of my Top 3... So with no further adieu...

3. Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl

Japan | Horror/Comedy | 2009 | 84mins

Vampire girl vs Frankenstein Girl, is a film that does everything possible to show the audience that none of the film is meant to be taken seriously. Developed by the same team responsible for Tokyo Gore Police, it was obvious early on what this film was going to be. The mixture of romance with elements of horror, romance and graphic saw-quality gore makes for an excellent film that will delight the senses.

The story revolves around a girl, new to the school, falling in love with a boy who just happens to be in a relationship with the daughter of the principal. The twist is that this girl happens to be a vampire and the principal a mad scientist. Vampire Girl gives the boy a valentine's day chocolate filled with her blood, turning him into a vampire in the process. If you weren't able to fill in the blanks purely based on the title, you should be able to now.

2. The Auteur

United States | Comedy | 2008 | 80mins

The Auteur was a surprise favorite for me. I did not have this film on my list and had no intention to see it. It just so happened that I was working at The Plaza on Sunday night, and had to opportunity to slip in at the end of my shift. Boy was I glad I did.

A Tribeca selection, the Auteur has thrilled audiences everywhere it has played. The premise of a struggling artistic porn director trying to climb his way back to the top may sound silly, but it is executed with excellence here.

There is little that I can say about this film other than the fact that the casting was perfect. Melik Malkasian plays an utterly convincing pornographic director; he finds the true voice of the role.

The great thing about the Auteur is that you do not need to wait to see it. The film is available right now via Amazon and Apple's iTunes video store.

1. The Year Of The Carnivore

Canada | Romantic Comedy | 2009 | 88mins

For MuchMusic personality Sook-Yin Lee nails it out of the park in her directorial debut. While the camerawork may not have been up to the standard of the previous two, this one wins purely on depth of character alone. Small details are slowly revealed about the main characters, creating a rarely matched depth.

The story revolves around a somewhat awkward girl, played by Cristin Milioti, who has fallen in love with a boy. The conflict comes when her sexual inexperience proves a stumbling block in their relationship. The solution? Sleep around as much as possible in order to gain experience. one of her tactics to do this revolves around using her position as a grocery store security guard to blackmail shoplifters into having sex with her.

While the film does not have any further scheduled screening dates, it would be worth placing this one on your watch list, as it was far-and-away my favorite film of the 2009 Calgary International Film Festival.