Birds Without Feathers[/caption]
The Whistler Film Festival will present an unprecedented number of female focused films, talent, events, and awards throughout its 2018 programs. The Festival will screen 21 feature films and 18 short films directed or co-directed by women or non-binary individuals, which makes up 46% of this year’s film programming, the highest percentage for the festival to date. WFF will also have 41 Canadian females out of 80 (51%) participating in 11 different talent programs, including 16 directors, 5 producers, 3 screenwriters, 8 filmmakers, 1 actor, and 7 musicians in bands in the Music Showcase.
“The Whistler Film Festival’s female focused initiatives are aligned with several industry wide mandates, and we are committed to promoting the shared goal of breaking the celluloid ceiling, increasing the number of women in the director’s chair, addressing the imbalance of industry diversity behind the camera, and supporting the collaborative efforts to bring more female written and directed narratives to screen, and more females on screen to reflect society,” says Shauna Hardy Mishaw, WFF Executive Director. “With strong representation both in front of and behind the camera in our films, and talent programs this year, Whistler is maintaining a timely leadership role for women in the industry, when the need is not only apparent, the collective is calling for it.“
An Audience of Chairs (2018)
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2018 Whistler Film Festival to Feature Record Number of Films Directed by Women
[caption id="attachment_29003" align="aligncenter" width="1214"] Birds Without Feathers[/caption]
The Whistler Film Festival will present an unprecedented number of female focused films, talent, events, and awards throughout its 2018 programs. The Festival will screen 21 feature films and 18 short films directed or co-directed by women or non-binary individuals, which makes up 46% of this year’s film programming, the highest percentage for the festival to date. WFF will also have 41 Canadian females out of 80 (51%) participating in 11 different talent programs, including 16 directors, 5 producers, 3 screenwriters, 8 filmmakers, 1 actor, and 7 musicians in bands in the Music Showcase.
“The Whistler Film Festival’s female focused initiatives are aligned with several industry wide mandates, and we are committed to promoting the shared goal of breaking the celluloid ceiling, increasing the number of women in the director’s chair, addressing the imbalance of industry diversity behind the camera, and supporting the collaborative efforts to bring more female written and directed narratives to screen, and more females on screen to reflect society,” says Shauna Hardy Mishaw, WFF Executive Director. “With strong representation both in front of and behind the camera in our films, and talent programs this year, Whistler is maintaining a timely leadership role for women in the industry, when the need is not only apparent, the collective is calling for it.“
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MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS to Open, MOMENTUM GENERATION to Close 2018 Whistler Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_31897" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]
(l-r) Grace Molony stars as Dorothy Stafford, Margot Robbie stars as Queen Elizabeth I and Georgia Burnell as Kate Carey in MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, a Focus Features release.[/caption]
Festival goers attending the 18th annual Whistler Film Festival (WFF), taking place from November 28 to December 2, can look forward to 85 fresh films including 50 features and 35 shorts representing 12 countries. WFF is set to open this year with Josie Rourke’s MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, starring two of last year’s Oscar nominated best actresses, Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie. Rourke’s breathtakingly beautiful directorial debut explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart (Ronan), and her struggle to reclaim her rightful throne as Queen of Scotland, then under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I (Robbie).
Closing the festival is the Canadian Premiere of groundbreaking surf documentary MOMENTUM GENERATION. Directed by Academy Award-shortlisted and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmakers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist, the documentary follows the biggest names in surfing, including Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian, Kalani Robb and the late Todd Chesser. Executive produced by Sundance founder Robert Redford with stunning archival footage from the godfather of surf films Taylor Steele, MOMENTUM GENERATION gives audiences an inside look at the lives of these teenagers as they rose to super stardom as the first competitive surfers.
WFF will screen six award season contenders including hosting the Canadian premieres of ON THE BASIS OF SEX, Mimi Leder’s topical biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg played by Felicity Jones, and Robert Budreau’s STOCKHOLM with Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace. The festival will also feature Western Canadian Premieres of AT ETERNITY’S GATE, director Julian Schnabel’s take on the life on Vincent Van Gogh played by Willem Dafoe; IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, the first film from director Barry Jenkins since winning the Academy Award for Best Picture with MOONLIGHT; Alfonso Cuarón’s masterful ROMA, which – for the first time ever at WFF – will be shown in 4k projection and 7.2 sound; and FAMILY FIRST (CHIEN DE GARDE) directed by Sophie Dupuis, Canada’s entry in this year’s Best Foreign Language Oscar category.
Other highlights include the World Premiere of Borsos Jury member Bruce McDonald’s CLAIRE’S HAT, an unprecedented filmic mea culpa about the making of the 2001 fiasco PICTURE CLAIRE. This funny, insightful and brilliantly reconstructed exploration documents what went wrong during the shooting of McDonald’s biggest budget movie to date. Direct from its premiere at Telluride, Brigitte Berman’s HUGH HEFNER’S AFTER DARK: SPEAKING OUT IN AMERICA, features a treasure trove of archival footage with everyone from Lenny Bruce to Moms Mabley.
Programming strands include American Indies, Canadian Vanguard, Contenders, Doc Bloc, First Features, From Overseas, From The Vault, Mountain Culture, ShortWork, and World Premieres.
WFF boasts that four of its five films in its American Indies strand will grace Canadian screens for the first time in Whistler. Titles include Wendy McColm’s funny and bittersweet BIRDS WITHOUT FEATHERS; Adisa’s horrifying look at sex trafficking in SKIN IN THE GAME; Alex Harvey’s brilliant WALDEN: LIFE IN THE WOODS with Oscar nominee Demián Bichir; and Emma Forrest’s moving UNTOGETHER, with Jamie Dornan (50 SHADES OF GREY), Jemima Kirke, Lola Kirke, Ben Mendelsohn and Jennifer Grey. Finally, Sebastián Silva’s TYREL features Michael Cera in a story about a lone black man on otherwise all-white weekend of drunken bro debauchery on a birthday trip to a cabin in the Catskills.
This year, 18 Canadian films will compete for Canada’s second largest festival prize in the 15th annual Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature. Borsos titles feature seven World Premieres including Jon Silverberg’s haunting WOODLAND (shot in BC); Métis director Shane Belcourt’s mission to Mars comedy RED ROVER starring Cara Gee; Jesse Zigelstein’s restaurant owner drama for foodies NOSE TO TAIL, Carolyn Combs’ ode to multiculturalism in Vancouver BELLA CIAO!; Natty Zavitz’s moving forbidden romance drama ACQUAINTED; Maja Zdanowski’s ambitious multi-character drama IN GOD I TRUST; Zack Bernbaum’s hilariously deadpan road movie about two Toronto Jews on a trek into Poland THE DANCING DOGS OF DOMBROVA; and Rama Rau’s HONEY BEE, which features another unforgettable performance by Julia Sarah Stone (WFF 2017 Star to Watch Alumni) as an underage truckstop hooker.
Western Canadian premieres in the Borsos Competition include Deanne Foley’s poignant exploration of mental illness and maternal yearnings, AN AUDIENCE OF CHAIRS; Kristina Wagenbauer’s moving story of mother/daughter conflict SASHINKA; Geneviève Dulude-De Celles’ A COLONY (UNE COLONIE), a memorable small-town coming of age story; Roz Owen’s study of a disenfranchised First Nations woman TROUBLE IN THE GARDEN featuring Cara Gee; Renée Beaulieu’s shockingly honest THE NATURALLY WANTON PLEASURE OF SKIN (LES SALOPES); Darlene Naponse’s FALLS AROUND HER featuring a career-best performance by Tantoo Cardinal; Lenin M. Sivam’s ROOBHA, a moving and empathetic look at transgender romance within the Canadian Tamil community; Sébastien Pilote’s award-winning coming of age story THE FIREFLIES ARE GONE; Sophie Dupuis’ first feature FAMILY FIRST (CHIEN DE GARDE), Canada’s entry in this year’s Foreign language Oscar category; and the Canadian Premiere of Robert Budreau’s STOCKHOLM with Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace.
In addition to the Canadian Premiere of the definitive surfing documentary MOMENTUM GENERATION which will close the festival, this year’s Mountain Culture films include premieres of Whistler-based directors Brian Hockenstein and Tamo Campos’ THE RADICALS which follows a group of snowboarders and surfers who drift from the mountains and oceans into the world of activism; Patagonia’s stunning winter film TREELINE which explores the diverse forests of British Columbia, Nevada, and Japan, directed by Vancouver-based Jordan Manley; and winner of the Best Documentary award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, FREE SOLO, directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, a stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of the free soloist climber Alex Honnold’s preparations to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock – the 3,000ft El Capitan in Yosemite National Park – without a rope.
This year’s Doc Bloc competition features a refreshingly diverse line-up. Two BC-based productions will grace our screens, including NEVER BE DONE: THE RICHARD GLEN LETT STORY directed by Roy Tighe about a self-sabotaging Vancouver based stand-up comic, and the World Premiere of FUCK YOU ALL: THE UWE BOLL STORY directed by Sean Patrick Shaul. Canadian premieres include Brian Bellinkoff’s PSYCHONAUTICS: A COMIC’S EXPLORATION OF PSYCHEDELICS with comedian Shane Mauss, and Brigitte Berman’s HUGH HEFNER’S AFTER DARK: SPEAKING OUT IN AMERICA. In addition, WFF will screen the World Premiere of Jaren Hayman’s eye-opening exploration of Canada’s largest black community in THIS IS NORTH PRESTON. Western Canadian premieres include THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, Tom Donahue’s timely reminder of gender inequality in the film and television industries being shown as part of WFF’s Women on Top Series, and our British Columbia premiere selection includes Laura Marie Wayne’s LOVE, SCOTT, about the lasting impact of a horrific incident of homophobic violence, produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
Other films of note in this year’s lineup include the family-friendly first feature from the Northwest Territories’ Jennifer Walden, ELIJAH AND THE ROCK CREATURE; musical Christmas zombie movie ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE that simply must be seen to be believed; Gillian McKercher’s realistic look at working in the Alberta oil sands CIRCLE OF STEEL; Collin Friesen’s hilarious comedy about burying a deceased father’s ashes featuring a stand-out performance from Bruce Greenwood, SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS; and Eva Husson’s rousing film detailing a Kurdish all-female battalion, GIRLS OF THE SUN. Borsos award winner Maxime Giroux (FELIX AND MEIRA 2014) returns with his newest THE GREAT DARKENED DAYS, and Gary Burns honors the festival with his Mountain Culture entry MAN RUNNING, about a doctor running a marathon in the Rockies.
WFF 2018 COMPLETE FEATURE FILM LISTING BY STRAND
American Indies
BIRDS WITHOUT FEATHERS (United States) Dir. Wendy McColm SKIN IN THE GAME (United States) Dir. Adisa TYREL (United States) Dir. Sebastián Silva UNTOGETHER (United States) Dir. Emma Forrest WALDEN: LIFE IN THE WOODS (United States) Dir. Alex HarveyCanadian Vanguard
AN AUDIENCE OF CHAIRS (Canada) Dir. Deanne Foley FALLS AROUND HER (Canada) Dir. Darlene Naponse THE FIREFLIES ARE GONE (Canada) Dir. Sébastien Pilote THE GREAT DARKENED DAYS (Canada) Dir. Maxime Giroux MAN RUNNING (Canada) Dir. Gary Burns THE NATURALLY WANTON PLEASURE OF SKIN (Canada) Dir. Renée BeaulieuContenders
AT ETERNITY’S GATE (United States) Dir. Julian Schnabel FAMILY FIRST (CHIEN DE GARDE) (Canada) Dir. Sophie Dupuis IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (United States) Dir. Barry Jenkins ON THE BASIS OF SEX (United States) Dir. Mimi Leder ROMA (United States, Mexico) Dir. Alfonso Cuarón STOCKHOLM (Canada) Dir. Robert BudreauDiscoveries
A COLONY (Canada) Dir. Geneviève Dulude-De Celles ACQUAINTED (Canada) Dir. Natty Zavitz THE DANCING DOGS OF DOMBROVA (Canada) Dir. Zack Bernbaum HONEY BEE (Canada) Dir. Rama Rau ROOBHA (Canada) Dir. Lenin M. SivamDoc Bloc
FUCK YOU ALL: THE UWE BOLL STORY (Canada) Dir. Sean Patrick Shaul HUGH HEFNER’S AFTER DARK: SPEAKING OUT IN AMERICA (Canada) Dir. Brigitte Berman LOVE, SCOTT (Canada) Dir. Laura Marie Wayne NEVER BE DONE: THE RICHARD GLEN LETT STORY (Canada) Dir. Roy Tighe PSYCHONAUTICS: A COMIC’S EXPLORATION OF PSYCHEDELICS (United States) Dir. Brian Bellinkoff THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING (United States) Dir. Tom Donahue THIS IS NORTH PRESTON (Canada) Dir. Jaren HaymanFirst Features
CIRCLE OF STEEL (Canada) Dir. Gillian McKercher ELIJAH AND THE ROCK CREATURE (Canada) Dir. Jen Walden SASHINKA (Canada) Dir. Kristina Wagenbauer SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS (Canada) Dir. Collin Friesen TROUBLE IN THE GARDEN (Canada) Dir. Roz OwenFrom Overseas
ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE (United Kingdom) Dir. John McPhail GIRLS OF THE SUN (France) Dir. Eva Husson KARMA (China) Dir. Lutao Wang THE QUAKE (Norway) Dir. John Andreas AndersenFrom The Vault
CLAIRE’S HAT (Canada) Dir. Bruce McDonaldGalas
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS (United Kingdom) Dir. Josie Rourke [caption id="attachment_31845" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Momentum Generation[/caption]
MOMENTUM GENERATION (United States) Dir. Jeff & Michael Zimbalist
Mountain Culture
FREE SOLO (United States) Dir. E. Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin MAN RUNNING (Canada) Dir. Gary Burns MOMENTUM GENERATION (United States) Dir. Jeff & Michael Zimbalist THE RADICALS (Canada) Dir. Brian Hockenstein & Tamo Campos TREELINE (Canada) Dir. Jordan ManleyWorld Premieres
BELLA CIAO! (Canada) Dir. Carolyn Combs IN GOD I TRUST (Canada) Dir. Maja Zdanowski INTO INVISIBLE LIGHT (Canada) Dir. Shelagh Carter NOSE TO TAIL (Canada) Dir. Jesse Zigelstein RED ROVER (Canada) Dir. Shane Belcourt WOODLAND (Canada) Dir. Jon SilverbergWFF 2018 Feature Films Eligible for the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature:
A COLONY ACQUAINTED AN AUDIENCE OF CHAIRS BELLA CIAO! THE DANCING DOGS OF DOMBROVA FALLS AROUND HER FAMILY FIRST THE FIREFLIES ARE GONE HONEY BEE IN GOD I TRUST THE NATURALLY WANTON PLEASURE OF SKIN NOSE TO TAIL RED ROVER ROOBHA TROUBLE IN THE GARDEN SASHINKA STOCKHOLM WOODLAND
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2018 Whistler Film Festival Confirms First 6 Films + Award Honorees
[caption id="attachment_31722" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Hugh Hefner’s After Dark: Speaking Out in America[/caption]
With just 12 weeks to go until its 18th edition, the Whistler Film Festival (WFF) confirmed the first films plus the BC talent that will be honored at Almost WFF, its’ annual benefit in Vancouver. From November 28th to December 2nd, the Whistler Film Festival will welcome both fans and filmmakers to experience fresh films, special guests, epic events, unique industry and talent programs.
Top lining this year’s Canadian titles are selections from past WFF Alumni, three of which are eligible for WFF’s coveted Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature which offers a $15,000 cash prize presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia.
First six films that will be playing at the 2018 Whistler Film Festival (WFF):
AN AUDIENCE OF CHAIRS (2018, Canada, Western Canadian Premiere) – directed by Deanne Foley (RELATIVE HAPPINESS screened WFF14) A concert pianist on a rural retreat has to deal with mental health issues and how it may affect the custody of her two children. A deeply moving story of artistic talent, motherly love and psychological imbalance all leading up to an emotionally shattering resolution. FALLS AROUND HER (2018, Canada, Western Canadian Premiere) – Directed by Darlene Naponse and starring WFF Alumnus Tantoo Cardinal, who gives the performance of her career as a First Nations singer who decides to return to the reservation to rekindle her creative batteries and extricate herself from an abusive relationship. A beautiful depiction of how the land and community can help heal the soul. FUCK YOU ALL – THE UWE BOLL STORY (2018, Canada, World Premiere) – Directed by Sean Patrick Shaul, this no-holds barred, warts and all documentary features one of BC’s most controversial filmmakers Uwe Boll (TUNNEL RATS screened at WFF in 2008). Considered by some to be the world’s worst directors, the feisty but now retired film entrepreneur, who once publicly boxed a number of film critics who did not like his movies, is still refusing to take guff from any of his detractors. HUGH HEFNER’S AFTER DARK: SPEAKING OUT IN AMERICA (2018, USA, Canadian Premiere) – Academy Award winning Brigitte Berman’s follow-up to 2009’s HUGH HEFNER: PLAYBOY, ACTIVIST, AND REBEL (WFF, 2009) focuses on the treasure trove of archival footage derived from Playboy’s two groundbreaking late night syndicated TV series (Playboy’s Penthouse and Playboy After Dark) and features unforgettable performances by Sammy Davis Jr., Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, Lenny Bruce and Smokey Robinson among many others. A time capsule through the racial and political times of the progressive 60s. MAN RUNNING (2018, Canada, BC Premiere) – Director Gary Burns, who is arguably one of Western Canada’s most important filmmakers ever since his breakout film WAYDOWNTOWN (WFF 2001), new film is set during a running marathon in the Kananaskis region. A doctor in questionable health questions his life and the decisions he made in the area of assisted suicide. An existential trek through the beautiful Rockies. THE GREAT DARKENED DAYS (2018, Canada, Western Canadian Premiere) – From director Maxime Giroux, winner of WFF’s Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature for FELIX ET MEIRA (WFF 2014), comes a completely new and exciting road movie about a Chaplinesque vagabond who walks and hitchhikes across a sometimes bleak rural American landscape, while learning that it is not safe for him to return home to Quebec.WFF will shine the spotlight on five honorees at the event:
Industry Impact Award: UBCP/ACTRA WFF’s Industry Impact Award recognizes an organization whose contributions have led to the success of their members, their partners and the British Columbia Film and TV industry as a whole, and whose support in the community continues to put the province on the map. UBCP/ACTRA has been a partner of WFF since 2005 and has supported our Stars to Watch talent program, an immersion experience for four UBCP/ACTRA member actors poised for international recognition with features premiering at the festival, since 2015. WFF will honour UBCP/ACTRA for its ongoing support of the industry in BC and the WFF Stars to Watch program, which collectively have been vital to their ongoing success. BC Woman on Top Award: Marie Clements WFF’s BC Woman on Top Award highlights a woman who has created her own niche in the film and media landscape while supporting and encouraging creators in the BC Industry. Marie Clements (WFF 2011) has ignited her brand of artistry within a variety of mediums including film, TV radio, new media and live performance. Marie wrote and directed THE ROAD FORWARD, a feature music-doc that premiered at Hot Docs and opened the 2017 DOXA Documentary Film Festival. The film received five Leo Awards including Best Production, Best, Director, and Best Screenwriter. THE ROAD FORWARD has screened at over 100 venues in North America, also receiving a Best Director Award at the North American Indian Festival in San Francisco, as well as a Writer’s Guild Nomination for Best Documentary Screenplay in 2018. Her documentary LOOKING AT EDWARD CURTIS premiered at DOXA and The Yorkton Film Festival this spring and will broadcast on Knowledge Network this Summer. She is currently in post production for her feature drama, RED SNOW, a WIDC feature film award winner due to release in 2019. A multi-award-winner for her previous work, Marie Clements’ films have screened at Cannes, TIFF, MOMA, VIFF, Whistler Film Festival, American Indian Film Festival and imagineNATIVE Film Festival. MCM is an independent media production company owned and operated by Clements specializing in the development, creation and production of innovative works of media that explore an Indigenous and intercultural reality. BC Creates Award: Amber Ripley WFF’s BC Creates Award celebrates independent producers in the BC Film and TV industry who continue to nurture, create and or produce in the province. Amber Ripley was a finalist for the MPPIA Short Film Award at WFF in 2011 with her short film Mermaid in a Jar. She recently produced the comedy-horror DEAD SHACK, the debut feature from Peter Ricq, one-half of the Juno-nominated band Humans (WFF 2014), who also composed the score for the film. Ricq penned the script along with Philippe Ivanusic and Davila LeBlanc, the co-creators of the award-winning animated TV series “The League of Super Evil.”. Currently, Amber is producing I’M NOT A BAD PERSON, the sophomore effort of the team behind the award-winning film VIOLENT, and Bruce McDonald’s DREAMLAND, a noir thriller that is an international co-production shooting in Luxembourg and Belgium. WFF Talent to Watch: Lawrence Le Lam WFF’s Talent to Watch Award recognizes a BC filmmaker or actor on a trajectory for success. Lawrence Le Lam is an award-winning filmmaker from Richmond, who loves exploring underground worlds. His short film, The Blue Jet, about a rebellious radio DJ broadcasting banned rock & roll in 1970s Taiwan premiered at Festival Du Nouveau Cinéma 2015, and has screened at festivals all around the world. It has won many awards including Best Student Production (Whistler Film Festival / Leo Awards 2016), and Best in Canada at the Toronto Shorts International Film Festival. His last short, Cypher, explores the conflict between the Korean and Black communities in LA during the 90s through the underground hip hop scene. Lawrence was a part of the TIFF Talent Lab program in 2017. He has also directed and co-wrote a feature documentary about the social enterprise movement, NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL which premiered at the Chicago Social Change Film Festival, and continues to spread online and in classrooms for free, accumulating more than 100,000 views. Lawrence is currently working as a co-director and editor on Ying Wang’s conspiracy thriller feature docudrama, THE BOY WITH A GUITAR. His next project, and first narrative feature, currently titled HONGCOUVER will explore the world of real estate, wealth migration, and ultra rich Chinese kids with luxury cars. Industry Toast: Angie Nolan Angie Nolan has been involved with the Whistler Film Festival since its inception and has worked in WFF’s Industry Programming since 2004. She most recently acted as Director of Industry Programming, overseeing all of WFF’s industry, project development and talent programs associated with the Whistler Film Festival and Summit. Angie recently moved on from WFF to work on her own creative projects. To recognize her commitment to WFF and passion for our industry and talent programs that she helped to create and nurture over the years, WFF will honor her with our Industry Toast Award.