The 15th anniversary celebration of the Whistler Film Festival wrapped, and the romantic drama CAROL, directed by Todd Haynes and starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, took home the Pandora Audience Award. The WFF Audience Award runner-ups were THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON, actor Robert Carlyle’s first theatrical feature and directorial debut, which received its North American premiere at the festival, followed by Ricardo Trogi’s mid-life crisis dramedy, Quebec film LE MIRAGE, the highest grossing and most popular Canadian film of the year so far.
Toronto’s first-time feature director Jamie M. Dagg’s RIVER dominated 2015 Whistler Film Festival awards, winning for best Canadian feature, Best Director and Best Screenplay in the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature. The jury also awarded French-Canadian actor Paul Savoie with Best Performance in a Borsos Film for his performance in THE DIARY OF AN OLD MAN, as well as provided honorable mention for Rossif Sutherland’s work in RIVER and Laura Abramsen’s roles in BASIC HUMAN NEEDS and THE SABBATICAL.
Receiving WFF’s Trailblazer Award and Tribute, British-born Canadian actor, film producer, and film director Kiefer Sutherland discussed his extensive acting career spanning film, stage and television, with CTV Film Critic Jim Gordon, followed by the Western Canadian Premiere of his latest film, FORSAKEN. Scottish-born Robert Carlyle, one of the most recognizable actors today, graced the Festival’s red carpet at this year’s Spotlight event as WFF’s Maverick Award honoree and sat down with Jim Gordon to discuss his bold choices that have led to the creation of some of the most dynamic, memorable, and beloved characters of our time before the North American Premiere of his directorial debut, THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON. One of Canada’s hardest working and most accomplished character actors, Bruce Greenwood was the recipient of WFF’s Career Achievement Award, at the World Premiere of his latest film REHEARSAL, directed by admired WFF Alumni Carl Bessai.
Winners of the 2015 Whistler Film Festival Awards
World Documentary Award
LAST HARVEST
Honorable Mention
AL PURDY WAS HERE
Best Mountain Culture Film
ECLIPSE
Canadian ShortWork Award
WITHHELD
Honorable Mention
MIA by Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett
International ShortWork Award
DISSONANCE
Canadian ShortWork Award for Best Screenplay
THE WOLF WHO CAME TO DINNER
Student ShortWork Awarded
THE BLUE JET
MPPIA Short Film Award
HOODS
AWFJ EDA Best Female-Directed Narrative Feature Award
A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET
AWFJ EDA Best Female-Directed Documentary Award
LAST HARVEST
Honorable Mention
AL PURDY WAS HERE by Brian D. Johnson
AWFJ EDA Best Female-Directed Short Award
SUNDAY LUNCH
AL PURDY WAS HERE receives honorable mention from World Documentary Jury and AWFJ EDA JuryTHE DIARY OF AN OLD MAN
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Jamie M. Dagg’s RIVER Dominates 2015 Whistler Film Festival Awards
The 15th anniversary celebration of the Whistler Film Festival wrapped, and the romantic drama CAROL, directed by Todd Haynes and starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, took home the Pandora Audience Award. The WFF Audience Award runner-ups were THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON, actor Robert Carlyle’s first theatrical feature and directorial debut, which received its North American premiere at the festival, followed by Ricardo Trogi’s mid-life crisis dramedy, Quebec film LE MIRAGE, the highest grossing and most popular Canadian film of the year so far.
Toronto’s first-time feature director Jamie M. Dagg’s RIVER dominated 2015 Whistler Film Festival awards, winning for best Canadian feature, Best Director and Best Screenplay in the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature. The jury also awarded French-Canadian actor Paul Savoie with Best Performance in a Borsos Film for his performance in THE DIARY OF AN OLD MAN, as well as provided honorable mention for Rossif Sutherland’s work in RIVER and Laura Abramsen’s roles in BASIC HUMAN NEEDS and THE SABBATICAL.
Receiving WFF’s Trailblazer Award and Tribute, British-born Canadian actor, film producer, and film director Kiefer Sutherland discussed his extensive acting career spanning film, stage and television, with CTV Film Critic Jim Gordon, followed by the Western Canadian Premiere of his latest film, FORSAKEN. Scottish-born Robert Carlyle, one of the most recognizable actors today, graced the Festival’s red carpet at this year’s Spotlight event as WFF’s Maverick Award honoree and sat down with Jim Gordon to discuss his bold choices that have led to the creation of some of the most dynamic, memorable, and beloved characters of our time before the North American Premiere of his directorial debut, THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON. One of Canada’s hardest working and most accomplished character actors, Bruce Greenwood was the recipient of WFF’s Career Achievement Award, at the World Premiere of his latest film REHEARSAL, directed by admired WFF Alumni Carl Bessai.
Winners of the 2015 Whistler Film Festival Awards
World Documentary Award
LAST HARVEST
Honorable Mention
AL PURDY WAS HERE
Best Mountain Culture Film
ECLIPSE
Canadian ShortWork Award
WITHHELD
Honorable Mention
MIA by Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett
International ShortWork Award
DISSONANCE
Canadian ShortWork Award for Best Screenplay
THE WOLF WHO CAME TO DINNER
Student ShortWork Awarded
THE BLUE JET
MPPIA Short Film Award
HOODS
AWFJ EDA Best Female-Directed Narrative Feature Award
A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET
AWFJ EDA Best Female-Directed Documentary Award
LAST HARVEST
Honorable Mention
AL PURDY WAS HERE by Brian D. Johnson
AWFJ EDA Best Female-Directed Short Award
SUNDAY LUNCH
AL PURDY WAS HERE receives honorable mention from World Documentary Jury and AWFJ EDA Jury
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Actors Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlyle to be Honored at 2015 Whistler Film Festival
Actors Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlyle will be honored at the upcoming 15th anniversary 2015 Whistler Film Festival taking place December 2 to 6, 2015.
British-born Canadian actor, film producer, and film director Kiefer Sutherland will be honored with the WFF 2015 Trailblazer in Acting Award presented to an actor who “has carved a unique and inspiring path for themselves in film and who continues to engage audiences with meaningful and impactful work,” followed by the Western Canadian Premiere of his latest film FORSAKEN. Sutherland joins forces with ‘24’ director Jon Cassar on FORSAKEN starring opposite his father Donald Sutherland and Demi Moore, receiving its Western Canadian premiere at the fest and set to release in February 2016.
Scottish born Robert Carlyle will be honored with the WFF 2015 Maverick Award. WFF will celebrate the “exciting and versatile actor whose bold choices have led to the creation of some of the most dynamic, memorable, and beloved characters of our time.” The Whistler Film Festival will screen his feature film directorial debut THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON, which is receiving its North American premiere at the festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG1i5T1XU-Q
Other notable talent confirmed with films premiering at the fest include: actor Rossif Sutherland (RIVER), actors Bruce Greenwood and David Cubitt (REHEARSAL), actors Katharine Isabelle, Tommie-Amber Pirie and Ennis Esmer (HOW TO PLAN AN ORGY IN A SMALL TOWN), director/writer Sandy Wilson and producer Peter O’Brian (MY AMERICAN COUSIN), actors Aleks Paunovic, Stefanie von Pfetten, Marie Avgeropoulos, and Colin Cunningham (NUMB), actor Fred Ewanuick (PATTERSON’S WAGER), actor Sage Brocklebank (SUSPENSION), actors Gabrielle Rose and Camille Sullivan (THE BIRDWATCHER), actors Enrico Colantoni and Krista Bridges (THE COLOSSAL FAILURE OF THE MODERN RELATIONSHIP), actor Paul Savoie (THE DIARY OF AN OLD MAN), director and founder of the Toronto Film Critics Association Brian D. Johnson (AL PURDY WAS HERE), and award-winning directors Philippe Lesage (THE DEMONS) and Ricardo Trogi (THE MIRAGE).