CANBERRA International Film Festival organisers can hardly suppress their glee at news that more people saw more films from more countries than at any time in the 16-year history of the event. 

Figures released today show that just under 17,000 people attended across the 12 days, with  27 sell-out sessions for films including “The Angels’ Share,” “Monsieur Lazhar,” “33 Postcards” and Stella Days and Amour” at the Dendy, “Neil Young Journeys,” “Searching for Sugarman” and “Grabbers” at the Arc Cinema and “Paul Kelly: Stories of Me” at the Canberra Theatre.

As indicated by the festival president, Nicole Mitchell, at Sunday’s closing event, a special feature of CIFF 2012 has been audience engagement, with 25 filmmakers and guests introducing movies, taking questions and discussing films and topics after screenings.

Artistic director Simon Weaving described himself as “absolutely thrilled that people turned up in record numbers again.”

Mitchell added, “It was great to see our articulate, curious and feisty audience wanting more from their films than merely watching them – they wanted to interact!”