5 Things to Look Forward to at the Whistler Film Festival
The annual Whistler Film Festival kicks off on November 28 in Whistler, BC and has packed an impressive number of films, panels and events into its 18th iteration. Over the course of five days, the festival will screen 90 films from Canada and around the world, ranging from features to shorts to documentaries. The non-profit will also award over $150,000 to filmmakers in cash prizes and commissions. Here are five things to look forward to at WFF this year, whether you’re a Whistler native or heading over to the city to check out the festival for the weekend. That is, five things in addition to the fact that you’d basically be watching films in just about the most picturesque surroundings possible, which, priceless. (ICYMI, we shot our October cover in an ice cave in Whistler.)
Variety’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch event
For the past seven years, WFF has been playing host to the 10 screenwriters named in Variety’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch list. This year, the group of 10 includes Sofia Alvarez, who wrote Netflix’s smash hit To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before; Joe Robert Cole, who penned Black Panther; and Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, the writers behind A Quiet Place. George Stroumboulopoulos will moderate a conversation on December 1 with the 10 writers, who will address their respective careers in the industry, upcoming projects and more.
BLACK PANTHER writer Joe Robert Cole included in the 2018 Class of @Variety 10 Screenwriters to Watch at @whisfilmfest
Tickets available now –> https://t.co/DlABxGOm0W pic.twitter.com/bXpsd5y6QW— Whistler Film Fest (@whisfilmfest) November 7, 2018
WFF’s Got Talent
If you’re an aspiring filmmaker—whether a producer, director, screenwriter or actor—send in your application for WFF’s various talent programs, which promise to help those “looking to establish themselves in the industry and advance their projects from script to screen.” WFF Talent Programs are open to Canadian independent filmmakers and talent at various stages in their careers, and some of the events this year include a multi-day lab for documentary filmmakers covering social issues, a fellowship for indigenous filmmakers, and a pitch workshop.
Women on Top
The first part of this year’s Women on Top series was held in Vancouver in June, and featured Geena Davis as a keynote speaker, in her capacity as founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a non-profit geared towards achieving gender equality in the entertainment industry. The second part of the series is scheduled for November 30 at the festival, and will involve a keynote address by Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute. Providing further insight into efforts within Canada and internationally to address gender equality and diversity, the keynote luncheon will be followed by a Women on Top workshop. This Changes Everything, a film about the gender disparity in the media industry, executive produced by Davis, will also be screened at WFF following its premiere at TIFF earlier this fall.
The Canadian premieres of Mary Queen of Scots, On the Basis of Sex and At Eternity’s Gate
Three of this year’s most anticipated films—Mary Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan as the titular Queen and Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I, On the Basis of Sex starring Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Martin Ginsburg, and At Eternity’s Gate, starring Willem Dafoe as Vincent Van Gogh—will have their Canadian premieres at the festival this year.
@whisfilmfest announce full film lineup and it's awesome! Our entire conversation with #WFF2018 Program Director Paul Gratton is here #ondemand #radio #radiostation #whistler #seatosky #listen: https://t.co/QMG6Mhswty <Darren> pic.twitter.com/WcoeIvPEgH
— Mountain FM (@MountainFM) November 1, 2018
A spotlight on Canadian films
69% of the content presented at WFF this year will be Canadian, and the lineup includes some exciting pieces of work such as Roobha, about a Tamil-Canadian who falls for a transgender dancer; Family First, Canada’s official entry in the Foreign Language category for next year’s Oscars, and The Fireflies are Gone, a film about a young girl from a small town in Quebec, which won Best Canadian Feature film at TIFF this past September.
Variety's 10 Screenwriters to Watch event
For the past seven years, WFF has been playing host to the 10 screenwriters named in Variety's 10 Screenwriters to Watch list. This year, the group of 10 includes Sofia Alvarez, who wrote Netflix's smash hit To All the Boys I've Loved Before; Joe Robert Cole, who penned Black Panther; and Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, the writers behind A Quiet Place. George Stroumboulopoulos will moderate a conversation on December 1 with the 10 writers, who will address their respective careers in the industry, upcoming projects and more.
https://twitter.com/whisfilmfest/status/1060253097275129856
WFF's Got Talent
If you're an aspiring filmmaker—whether a producer, director, screenwriter or actor—send in your application for WFF's various talent programs, which promise to help those "looking to establish themselves in the industry and advance their projects from script to screen." WFF Talent Programs are open to Canadian independent filmmakers and talent at various stages in their careers, and some of the events this year include a multi-day lab for documentary filmmakers covering social issues, a fellowship for indigenous filmmakers, and a pitch workshop.
Women on Top
The first part of this year's Women on Top series was held in Vancouver in June, and featured Geena Davis as a keynote speaker, in her capacity as founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a non-profit geared towards achieving gender equality in the entertainment industry. The second part of the series is scheduled for November 30 at the festival, and will involve a keynote address by Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute. Providing further insight into efforts within Canada and internationally to address gender equality and diversity, the keynote luncheon will be followed by a Women on Top workshop. This Changes Everything, a film about the gender disparity in the media industry, executive produced by Davis, will also be screened at WFF following its premiere at TIFF earlier this fall.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoenRE3DrPj/
The Canadian premieres of Mary Queen of Scots, On the Basis of Sex and At Eternity's Gate
Three of this year's most anticipated films—Mary Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan as the titular Queen and Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I, On the Basis of Sex starring Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Martin Ginsburg, and At Eternity's Gate, starring Willem Dafoe as Vincent Van Gogh—will have their Canadian premieres at the festival this year.
https://twitter.com/MountainFM/status/1057998299376963584
A spotlight on Canadian films
69% of the content presented at WFF this year will be Canadian, and the lineup includes some exciting pieces of work such as Roobha, about a Tamil-Canadian who falls for a transgender dancer; Family First, Canada's official entry in the Foreign Language category for next year's Oscars, and The Fireflies are Gone, a film about a young girl from a small town in Quebec, which won Best Canadian Feature film at TIFF this past September.){kind=link}