(Whistler, BC) – The Whistler Film Festival (WFF) has a cinematic adventure in store for its 24th edition, with more than 100 fresh, thought-provoking films selected to inspire, enlighten, and entertain in Whistler, BC from December 4-8.
With one of the most breathtakingly scenic resort towns in Canada as its backdrop, WFF is known as an intimate festival that focuses on filmmakers with over 62% of its line-up celebrating Canadian cinema (43% features, 75% shorts). It provides over $188,500 in cash and prizes across its various competitions, making it among the most attractive festivals north of the 49th parallel. The Content Summit, WFF’s industry and networking component, announces its slate of programming later this week, with guests representing some of the top companies and key players in film and screen from around the continent. Approximately 1,200 filmmakers and industry professionals are expected to attend.
“It’s been a thrill working my first year at the festival and I’ve been fortunate to be alongside such a talented team of programmers and staff,” said Robin Smith, who joined WFF as director of film programming in June. “This year’s festival has been all about listening to our team’s experience, our community’s needs, and being reflective of where our industry is at present while still maintaining a vibrant variety of programs that will engage both our local community and audiences across the country.
“We have an exciting mix of fun and playful, and also thought-provoking and diverse films programmed across 10 program strands,” added Smith. “We are screening more films than ever by expanding popular programs such as ShortWorks, Mountain Culture, and World Documentary while adding in new themes like Play It Loud!, Country Of Focus, Films On Tap, and Movies You Missed to give an increased range of films to our audiences. I truly believe that we are offering a selection that is unmatched anywhere in Canada.”
Smith said he also programmed films that are reflective and celebratory of the Whistler community itself: “It’s such a unique and beautiful corner of the country. Whistler has something to offer to everyone, and we tried to emulate this in our 2024 lineup.”
“We are excited to be screening 118 films, including multiple world premieres, Oscar contenders, documentaries by renowned filmmakers,” said WFF executive director Angela Heck, citing 47 features and 71 shorts at press time. “We have an unprecedented number of celebrities coming out this year, in support of their films, as jurors and as key speakers. We’re really feeling like our cup runneth over in 2024.”
The festival will once again be activating the former Village 8 theatres in the heart of Whistler Village with additional screenings taking place in the Whistler Conference Centre’s Rainbow Theatre, Maury Young Arts Centre, and Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre.
Another particular standout at WFF this year is Canada’s Oscar contender, Universal Language, an absurdist tryptic of seemingly unconnected stories which find a mysterious point of intersection in director Matthew Rankin’s autobiographical fever dream set somewhere between Winnipeg and Tehran.
“Universal Language is a simple yet complex film that is surreal and comedic while also feeling meta and bittersweet – and still quintessentially Canadian,” offered Smith. “Matthew Rankin is a fresh and exciting voice in our cinematic landscape today.”
Unstoppable is the Ben Affleck-helmed production starring Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle, and Bobby Cannavale. It’s the inspiring true story of Anthony Robles who was born with one leg but whose indomitable spirit and unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds. Played by Jerome, Anthony fights through adversity to earn a spot on the Arizona State Wrestling team demanding everything he has, physically and mentally, to achieve his ultimate quest to become an NCAA Champion.
One of WFF’s more anticipated world premieres is the ultimate in Canadiana. A recent addition to the Borsos Competition, Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties: The Bubbles and the Sh*trockers Story follows Bubbles (screenplay writer Mike Smith of Trailer Park Boys fame) and his band The Sh*trockers as they head out on a wild European tour opening for Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters. Guest stars include musicians Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan, Nashville’s Lennon Stella and Maisy Stella, Cheap Trick’s Rick Neilsen, Martin Freeman (The Hobbit), and half-wit trailer park regulars Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay, and Patrick Roach.
And for those who love to see the Sea to Sky represented in movies beyond outdoor rec there’s Heretic. Starring Hugh Grant in perhaps his most unique (and, dare we say, creepy) role to-date, the film was shot primarily in Squamish, BC just 30 minutes south of Whistler and features a plethora of familiar locations. Vancouver-based music supervisor Natasha Durprey oversaw all the song selections for the suspense thriller.
PLAY IT LOUD!
Music is a prominent theme this year at WFF – so much so that the festival added a new program aptly titled Play It Loud!, launching Thursday, Dec. 5, with the world premiere of Blue Rodeo: Lost Together. Band founders Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, and director Dale Heslip will be in attendance.
Other music-themed screenings include Harkness. Directed by Maria Markina, this documentary follows the Toronto musician of the same name as he releases his debut album, launches an elaborate online marketing campaign, and cleans bathrooms in dingy venues prior to his gigs. Alison Tavel’s Resynator traces a young woman’s quest to revive her late father's forgotten music synthesizer and uncovers hidden truths about his life and legacy. Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, directed by Isaac Gale and Ryan Olson, delves into the lives of cult musician Swamp Dogg, and housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty, who turn their suburban LA home into a haven from the turbulent music business.
MOUNTAIN CULTURE
The WFF Mountain Culture strand showcases the diverse world of mountain culture beyond adventure sports with a cinematic flourish.
“This year’s program brings more short films to Whistler than ever before – with exquisite storytelling and cinematography on subjects ranging from exhilarating extreme sports to women pioneers from the 1800s,” said programmer Vanessa Tam, adding that an inaugural panel on mountain culture filmmaking was created for this year’s Content Summit. “We hope to foster more collaboration between our mountain culture talent and the international industry, and this seems to be a great way of achieving that.” The panel will be included for all industry passholders, as well as available for individual event purchase.
Recognizing that Whistler and the Sea to Sky are home to so many creatives whose passion is adventure storytelling, the festival partnered with Arc'teryx to host a filmmakers panel for the community. “Building on last year's success, talent talks return to the Whistler Public Library to feature our filmmakers in an intimate setting, allowing for in-depth discussions on topics that go beyond a screening Q&A or panel,” added Tam.
The festival will host an awards celebration on Sunday, Dec. 8. A total of 15 film awards, including one audience award, and $37,500 in cash and prizes ($17,500 cash and $20k in prizes) will be presented. WFF also hosts two pitch competitions: The Screen BC Short Film Award offers a $115,000 prize ($15k cash and $100k in-kind services); while the Power Pitch competition offers $36k ($25k production package featuring a post-production credit from Company 3 / Method; and a $10K lighting and grip production credit from Sunbelt Rentals including a $1k cash prize).
2024 WFF Dates To Note
● December 4-8: The 2024 Whistler Film Festival presents over 100 films including 47 feature films and nine short film programs including Oscar contenders, breakthrough Canadian titles, heart-stopping adventure films, and award-winning stories from around the globe. Unique industry initiatives and lively events round out this cinematic celebration in North America’s premier mountain resort destination.
● December 4-7: The industry-focused Content Summit serves up a robust four-day itinerary of in-person programming, keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, and networking events in Whistler.
● Saturday, Dec. 7: 2024 Whistler Film Festival FUN’raiser: Rock the Fest, at the Whistler Conference Centre. Presented by RE/MAX Sea to Sky Real Estate, the FUN’raiser promises an epic night of music and fun with A&M Grands Duelling Pianos, featuring Mick Dalla Vee (Randy Bachman Band) and Andrew Johns (Alice Cooper).
● December 10-12: Content Summit Online Networking (for all industry passholders) for 1:1 Market Meetings and roundtable discussions.
Individual and ticket packs are now available at whistlerfilmfestival.com.
Information about air travel, ground transportation, discounted rates, and early bird accommodation rates from WFF’s accommodation partners are available at whistlerfilmfestival.com/film-festival/plan-to-attend.
The Whistler Film Festival gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through Telefilm Canada, the Province of British Columbia and the Resort Municipality of Whistler. We gratefully acknowledge our major festival sponsors Creative BC, Directors Guild of Canada - British Columbia, Tourism Whistler, Variety, Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada, RBC, Sunbelt Rentals, and Whistler Blackcomb. Gold sponsors are Netflix and Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
STATS + PREMIERES AT PRESS TIME
● 118 films in total comprising 47 features and 71 shorts presented in nine programs including:
○ World premieres (five features, 22 shorts)
○ North American premieres (two shorts)
○ Canadian premieres (eight features, 12 shorts)
○ Western Canadian premieres (14 features, 10 shorts)
○ English Canadian premiere (one feature, three shorts)
○ British Columbia premieres (13 features, five shorts)
○ Whistler premieres (six features, 17 shorts)
● Selected from over 1892 submissions
● Representing 14 countries (including Australia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Norway, Palestine, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, United States)
● 62% films are Canadian: 43% of the features (21 features) and 75% (52 shorts)
● Languages: 75% English, 3% French, 3% Indigenous, 20% other (features: 38/47 English, 3/47 French, 2/47 Arabic, 1/47 Spanish, 1/47 Norwegian 1/47 Japanese, 1/47 Ojibwe / shorts: 51/70 English, 2/70 French, 3/70 Indigenous Languages, other languages including: Spanish, Ukrainian, Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese, Indonesian, Italian and Greek.
● 44% films are directed or co-directed by women or non-binary individuals: including 34% of features and 51% of the shorts (16 features, 36 shorts)
● 35% films are directed or co-directed by BIPOC individuals: including 19% of features and 46% of the shorts (nine features, 32 shorts)
● 17% of features are directed by a first-time feature filmmaker (eight features), 33% of films come from BC-based/born creators or were shot partially in BC (five of 47 features, and 33 out of 70 shorts)
2024 FEATURE-LENGTH FILMS & SHORTS PROGRAMS
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Aberdeen | Written and directed by Eva Thomas and Ryan Cooper | BC premiere | English, Anishinaabemowin
Darkest Miriam | Written and directed by Naomi Jaye | BC premiere
Hunting Matthew Nichols | Directed by Markian Tarasiuk, written by Sean Harris Oliver (BC film) | Western Canadian premiere
Kryptic | Directed by Kourtney Roy, written by Paul Bromley (BC film) | BC premiere
Lucky Strikes | Written and directed by Darcy Waite | World premiere
Phoenixes | Written and directed by Jonathan Beaulieu-Cyr | English Canadian premiere | French
Please, After You | Directed by Rob Michaels, written by Amir Kahnamouee | World premiere | English, Farsi
Really Happy Someday | Directed by J Stevens, written by J Stevens, Breton Lalama | BC premiere
Standing On The Shoulders Of Kitties: The Bubbles And Sh*trockers Story | Directed by Charlie Lightening, written by Mike Smith | Canada | Western Canadian premiere
Sway | Directed by Charlie Hamilton and Zachary Ramelan, written by Charlie Hamilton | Western Canadian premiere
Sweet Angel Baby | Written and directed by Melanie Oates | Western Canadian premiere
The Birds Who Fear Death | Written and directed by Sanjay Patel | BC premiere
Who Do I Belong To | Written and directed by Meryam Joobeur | Western Canadian premiere | Arabic
SPECIAL PRESENTATION (English unless otherwise noted)
The Last Showgirl (Opening Night) | Directed by Gia Coppola, written by Kate Gersten | USA | Western Canadian premiere
Better Man (Closing Night) | Directed by Michael Gracey, written by Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole, Michael Gracey | Australia | Western Canadian premiere
September 5 | Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, co-written by Alex David | Germany | Western Canadian premiere | English, German
Chaperone | Written and directed by Zoë Eisenberg | USA | Canadian premiere
Unstoppable | Directed by William Goldberg, written by Eric Champnella, Alex Harris, John Hindman | USA | BC premiere
Queer | Directed by Luca Guadagnino, written by William S. Burroughs, Justin Kuritzkes | Italy/USA | Western Canadian premiere
Bob Trevino Likes It | Written and directed by Tracie Laymon | USA | BC premiere
The Summer Book | Directed by Charlie McDowell, written by Tove Jansson, Robert Jones | Finland/USA | Canadian premiere
Anangong Miigaading: Star Wars: A New Hope | Written by and directed by George Lucas | USA | BC premiere | translated into Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe)
Standing On The Shoulders Of Kitties: The Bubbles And Sh*trockers Story | Directed by Charlie Lightening, written by Mike Smith | Canada | Western Canadian premiere | *eligible for Borsos Competition for Canadian Feature Film
In The Summers | Written and directed by Alessandra Lacorazza | USA | Western Canadian premiere
Bushido | Directed by Kazuya Shiraishi, written by Masato Kato | Japan | Canadian premiere | Japanese
CANADA’S OSCAR CONTENDER
Universal Language | Directed by Matthew Rankin, written Pirouz Nemati, Ila Firouzabadi and Matthew Rankin | Canada | Whistler premiere | Farsi/French
MOVIES YOU MISSED (English unless otherwise noted)
Heretic | Directed by Bryan Woods, written Scott Beck, Bryan Woods (filmed in Squamish, BC) | USA, Canada | Whistler premiere
MOUNTAIN CULTURE (English unless otherwise noted)
Altitudes | Written and directed by Louise Thaller, Stanislas Giroux | Switzerland | Canadian premiere | French
Diving Into the Darkness | Written and directed by Nays Baghai | Australia | BC premiere
Maya and the Wave | Directed by Stephanie Johnes | USA | Western Canadian premiere | English/Portuguese
Skategoat | Directed by Van Alpert | Australia | Canadian premiere
X Trillion | Written and directed by Eleanor Church | UK | Canadian premiere
WORLD DOCUMENTARY (English unless otherwise noted)
Story and Pictures By | Directed by Joanna Rudnick, written by Shane Boris, Will Csaklos | USA | Canadian premiere | English/Spanish
Resident Orca | Written and directed by Simon Schneider, Sarah Sharkey Pearce | Canada | BC premiere
A New Kind of Wilderness | Directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, written Eva Thomas, Ryan Cooper | Norway | BC premiere | English/Norwegian
Space Cowboy | Directed by Marah Strauch, Bryce Leavitt | USA | Western Canadian premiere
Fairy Creek | Written and directed by Jen Muranetz* | Canada | Western Canadian premiere | WFF23 DocLab Alumni*
NiiMisSak: Sisters In Film | Written and directed by Jules Koostachin | Canada | World premiere
The Legend In Me | Directed by Calvin Hwangritten, written by Taylor McConnachie | Canada | Canadian premiere
COUNTRY OF FOCUS: IRELAND (English unless otherwise noted)
Kneecap | Directed by Rich Peppiatt, written by Rich Peppiatt, Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, DJ Próvai | Ireland | Whistler premiere | English/Irish
Sharp Corner | Directed by Jason Buxton, written by Jason Buxton, Russell Wangersky | Canada/Ireland | Whistler premiere
Housewife Of The Year | Directed by Ciarán Cassidy | Ireland | Western Canadian premiere
Fidil Ghorm (Blue Fiddle) | Directed by Anne McCabe, written by Patricia Fordeand | Ireland | Canadian premiere | Irish
PLAY IT LOUD! (English unless otherwise noted)
Harkness | Directed by Maria Markina | Canada | World premiere
Reysnator | Directed by Alison Tavel, witten Kathryn Robson, Alison Tavel | USA | BC premiere
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted | Directed by Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson, written Andrew Broder, Isaac Gale, Paul Lovelace, Ryan Olson | USA | Western Canadian premiere
FILMS ON TAP (English)
ShortWorks PROGRAMS BY TITLE
ShortWork 1: The Here and Now | Various
ShortWork 2: Sacred | Various
ShortWork 3: All The Feels | Various
ShortWork 4: Keep Whistler Weird | Various
ShortWork 5: What We Leave Behind | Various
Mountain Culture Shorts 1: Arc’teryx Film Showcase | Various
Mountain Culture Shorts 2: Pioneers of Her Time | Various
Mountain Culture Shorts 3: Bold Pursuits From Sky to Ice | Various
BC Student Shorts | Various | Canadian premiere(s)
The Whistler Film Festival Society is a charitable organization dedicated to furthering the art and business of film by providing programs that focus on the discovery, development, and promotion of new talent culminating in the highly-respected Whistler Film Festival + Content Summit each December.
The Whistler Film Festival Society is situated on the shared unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nation and Lil̓wat7úl (Lil’wat) Nation.
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