Whistler Film Festival Wrap – Up

from whistler film festival

Whistler, B.C. (December 7, 2010) – The tenth anniversary of the Whistler Film Festival (WFF), which wrapped on Sunday night, reached new heights and continues to solidify its reputation as an emerging force on the Festival circuit with an unprecedented 46 screenings, a record 56 premieres, sold-out screenings and more indie film power than ever before.

The Whistlerbower (dir: Larysa Kondracki) won over audience and juror hearts alike taking home both the WFF Audience Award and the $15,000 Borsos Award For Best Canadian Feature. Starring Academy Award-winners Rachel Weisz and Vanessa Redgrave alongside Academy Award nominee David Stathairn, The Whistleblower is based on the true story of a Nebraskan police officer (Weisz), who takes a job working for the United Nations as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. Her expectations of helping to rebuild a devastated country are dashed when she unveils a different reality: corruption and cover-up amidst a world of UN contingents, private contractors, and diplomatic doubletalk. The award is a non-cash prize presented to the highest-rated film as voted by the WFF audience.

Tribute recipients Monte Hellman and Bruce McDonald received a standing ovation from a packed house on Friday night, a true reflection of WFF’s independent spirit. The 10 Filmmakers in the Spotlight drew some of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers including award winning director Atom Egoyan (dir: The Sweet Hereafter), Academy Award-winning director John Zaritsky (dir: Just Another Missing Kid); Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign film Luc Déry (prod: Incendies), and Genie-award winning filmmaker Daniel Cross (prod: Up The Yangtze) to name a few, who were recognized for their cinematic achievements and contributions to the Festival’s rising success over the past decade. “What a trip the last ten years have been,” says WFF Executive Director and Co-Founder Shauna Hardy Mishaw. “It was such an honour to be able to bring together so many talented filmmakers, supporters of the Festival and film enthusiasts to celebrate our milestone. While the festival is poised to be one of the top festivals in the world, this year’s event confirmed that it has not lost its intimate nature.”

Special guests included Tribute host George Stroumboulopoulos (George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight) who was joined by Atom Egoyan for a rare “fire-side” chat with McDonald and Hellman. Notorious film critic and author Richard Crouse hosted WFF’s In Conversation with Bruce Greenwood on Saturday afternoon. The sold out World Premiere of Bruce McDonald’s Hard Core Logo II was followed by a high-energy live performance by Die Mannequin, the punk band featured in McDonald’s sequel mockumentary. “em>Hard Core Logo II is a perfect example of the Festival’s independent spirit and commitment to fostering relationships that lead to great films,“ says Whistler Film Festival Artistic Director, Stacey Donen. “It was over a casual dinner at the 2008 Festival where producer Rob Merilees of Foundation Features and Bruce McDonald decided to work together on the sequel to Hard Core Logo. It was only fitting that Hard Core Logo II received its World Premiere at our 10th Anniversary Gala.”

Over sixty percent of the feature films were at or near capacity and included Daydream Nation, Ski Bums, Hard Core Logo II, 2 Frogs in the West, Trigger, The Whistlerblower, A Life Ascending, Wrecked, Good Neighbours, Attenberg, The People vs. George Lucas, Leave Them Laughing, In A Better World and The Silence. All of the special events, including the Tribute to Monte Hellman and Bruce McDonald, the 10th Anniversary Gala and the Awards Brunch, were sold out. Despite the addition of an extra day and venue, and the elimination of the outdoor screening and daily Whistler Stories short film presentations at the American Express Warming Hut, total attendance, including industry insiders, was on par with 2009 at 8,189 attendees.

The 2010 Whistler Film Festival took place from December 1 to 5 and showcased a record-breaking 56 premieres, including 9 world premieres, 5 North American premieres, 5 Canadian premieres, 21 Western Canada premiers and 14 British Columbia premieres. The 68 films screened were comprised of 34 features and 34 shorts; $50,000 in cash prizes and over $100,000 in production services were awarded. Festival highlights included daily interviews with filmmakers and celebrity guests, and coverage of parties and the Celebrity Ski Challenge captured by the Festival Live team and thanks to a new short film competition, The Brewskis, sponsored by Whistler Brewing Company, two up-and-coming Whistler Filmmakers, Ian Dunsmore and Danny Belair, took home $5,000 for their short film, “Two-Minutes”. See www.whistlerfilmfestival.com for more details.

With a focus on the changing media landscape and designed to facilitate international alliances and financial partnerships, the newly named Whistler Summit focused on filmmaking in the digital age presenting 15 interactive sessions that addressed a range of issues affecting the film, television and digital media industry. Sessions were complimented by networking opportunities including one-on-one meetings, roundtable information sessions and receptions. Overall, the industry forum was at 80% capacity, attracting 482 delegates (a 7% decrease compared to 519 in 2009) and scheduled meetings that took place during the Summit remained on par at 340 (337 in 2009). There was also a notable increase in unscheduled meetings that took place outside of scheduled blocks proving the festival remains an important place for the industry to meet and do business. Industry guests came from the USA, United Kingdom, Greece and Canada to participate, and delegate representation was from Africa, Australia, USA, China and Canada.

Comments are closed.