Canada’s Whistler Film Festival Announces 19th Annual Lineup

The Whistler Film Festival has announced the lineup and juries for its 19th year. The festival will run from December 4 to 8 in Whistler, British Columbia, and will feature over 80 films. This year’s lineup includes Oscar-buzzed films like Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, Tom Harper’s The Aeronauts, and Canada’s foreign language Oscar entry Antigone, directed by Sophie Deraspe. Other high profile films include the opening night Canadian premiere of Katherine O’Brien’s Lost Transmissions, starring Simon Pegg and Juno Temple, William Nicholson’s Hope Gap, Lisa Barros D’Sa’s Ordinary Love, and Lone Scherfig’s The Kindness of Strangers among many other selections.

”The Whistler Film Festival has evolved into a premium showcase for exciting new motion pictures not previously shown at other film festivals, with more and more filmmakers from Canada and abroad entrusting us with their new creations,” Paul Gratton, Whistler Film Festival Director of Programming, offers. “From Canadian gems to American Indies, our 19th edition delivers compelling and entertaining stories from around the world, welcoming both established names and emerging filmmakers. This year’s lineup is full of familiar faces, fresh discoveries, and inspiring insights into critical issues that reflect today’s culture, and we can’t wait to share them with our audience.”

To recognize the best of the high profile feature and short film screenings, the Whistler Film Festival will offer 15 film awards. These awards include the following:

• The Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature that includes a $15,000 cash prize presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia and $15,000 Post Production Prize sponsored by Encore Vancouver, along with awards for Best Director also presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia, Best Performance, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography presented by the International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 669;
• World Documentary Award;
• Mountain Culture Award presented by Whistler Blackcomb;
• International ShortWork Award;
• Canadian ShortWork Award ($1,000 cash award);
• BC Student ShortWork Award ($500 cash award);
• MPPIA Short Film Award ($15,000 cash award plus up to $100,000 in production services) presented by MPPIA and Creative BC;
• The Alliance of Women Female Journalists (AWFJ) EDA Awards for Best Female-Directed Narrative Feature and Best Female-Directed Short Film;
• New BC Directors Award presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia
• Audience Award (to be announced on December 9)

Find more information about the festival, including ticket information, at their website. Additional guests and honorees will be announced on November 12.

The Whistler Film Festival is funded by the Government of Canada through Telefilm Canada, and by the Province of British Columbia and the Resort Municipality of Whistler through Creative BC and the Resort Municipality Initiative, is supported by the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation and the American Friends of Whistler, and is sponsored by Cineplex, Directors Guild of Canada – British Columbia, Encore, Variety, Tourism Whistler, Whistler Blackcomb, Gibbons Whistler and RE/MAX Sea to Sky Real Estate.