Visit our sister site:
Follow us on
Headline, Industry News
Whistler Film Festival hitting new heights this year
Monday November 08th 2010The Whistler Film Festival is peaking in its 10th year with nine world premieres, five Canadian premieres and 21 films getting their first western Canadian screenings.
There was a time when the five-day movie bash in the mountains had to make do with leftovers that didn’t make the cut at the earlier fall festivals.
This year, the festival opens Dec. 1 with Daydream Nation, a black-comic small-town story filmed in Fort Langley starring Kat Dennings, Andie MacDowell and Josh Lucas, and written and directed by Toronto’s Michael Goldbach, who is heading to Whistler.
The film screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, but the producers opted to make their B.C. debut at Whistler rather than the bigger Vancouver International Film Festival.
Daydream’s Vancouver-based producer Trish Dolman cited Whistler’s ties to Toronto’s Canadian Film Centre, which runs programs at the resort.
“We’ve submitted movies to Vancouver, but Mike Goldbach is a CFC graduate, and in this case we decided that Whistler was more appropriate,” Dolman said.
“Also, opening the festival is a really prestigious spot and certainly would have gotten us more publicity than if we were just another film at the Vancouver festival.”
All told, 68 films — 34 features and 34 shorts — will be shown on four screens in three theatres over the five days. Artistic director Stacey Donen says the event is aiming to become a venue for filmmakers to meet in ways they can’t at the larger festivals.
“Whistler is so intimate that they can get together all the time,” says Donen, in his second year with the festival.
“The kinds of films that are available [will change] from year to year. We’re definitely looking for films that haven’t played in Vancouver, but there are still a lot of great films that are made in the world. So many films are otherwise unavailable and people don’t know about them.”
Other high-profile entries with B.C. connections include the North American premiere of Wrecked, Canadian director Michael Greenspan’s claustrophobic car-crash drama, filmed in B.C. and starring Oscar winner Adrien Brody; and the South African-Canadian co-production The Bang Bang Club, a based-on-fact story about war photographers starring Malin Akerman, Ryan Phillippe and B.C.’s Taylor Kitsch.
Actor Bruce Greenwood heads home for the Whistler screening of his U.S. indie western Meek’s Cut-off, while U.S. cult director Monte Hellman (White Line Blacktop) comes to the mountains with Vancouver actor Tygh Runyan and their movie Road to Nowhere. Busy Toronto director Bruce McDonald brings three new features. Hard Core Logo II, produced by Vancouver’s Rob Merilees, is the sequel to McDonald’s 1996 punk-rock road-trip story; Music from the Big House documents a prison concert by Canadian blues artist Rita Chiarelli; and Trigger follows the reunion of a fictional folk duo (B. C. actor Molly Parker and the late Tracy Wright).
“Monte Hellman hasn’t made a movie in 20 years, Bruce McDonald made three last year, but they’re both passionate about their work,” says Donen. “Those are the people we want to bring to the festival.”
Other Canuck flicks include The Whistleblower, a drama about the east European sex trade by director Larysa Kondracki, starring Rachel Weisz.
The festival will award over $45,000 in cash prizes and commissions: The $15,000 Borsos Award for Best New Canadian Feature presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, B.C.; the $10,000 New Voices International Feature Award; the MPPIA Short Film Award presented by MPPIA and B.C. Film ($15,000 cash prize plus up to $100,000 in services); the $2,500 Best Documentary Award; the $1,000 Best Short Film Award; the $500 Best Student Short Film Award; the $1,000 Best Mountain Culture Film Award, presented by Whistler Blackcomb; and Best Actor and Actress Awards for films in the Borsos Competition, presented by the Union of B.C. Performers.
Information on tickets, hotels and schedules can be found at whistlerfilmfestival.com.
Source: The Province
Headline, Industry News
Whistler Film Festival hitting new heights this year
Monday November 08th 2010The Whistler Film Festival is peaking in its 10th year with nine world premieres, five Canadian premieres and 21 films getting their first western Canadian screenings.
There was a time when the five-day movie bash in the mountains had to make do with leftovers that didn’t make the cut at the earlier fall festivals.
This year, the festival opens Dec. 1 with Daydream Nation, a black-comic small-town story filmed in Fort Langley starring Kat Dennings, Andie MacDowell and Josh Lucas, and written and directed by Toronto’s Michael Goldbach, who is heading to Whistler.
The film screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, but the producers opted to make their B.C. debut at Whistler rather than the bigger Vancouver International Film Festival.
Daydream’s Vancouver-based producer Trish Dolman cited Whistler’s ties to Toronto’s Canadian Film Centre, which runs programs at the resort.
“We’ve submitted movies to Vancouver, but Mike Goldbach is a CFC graduate, and in this case we decided that Whistler was more appropriate,” Dolman said.
“Also, opening the festival is a really prestigious spot and certainly would have gotten us more publicity than if we were just another film at the Vancouver festival.”
All told, 68 films — 34 features and 34 shorts — will be shown on four screens in three theatres over the five days. Artistic director Stacey Donen says the event is aiming to become a venue for filmmakers to meet in ways they can’t at the larger festivals.
“Whistler is so intimate that they can get together all the time,” says Donen, in his second year with the festival.
“The kinds of films that are available [will change] from year to year. We’re definitely looking for films that haven’t played in Vancouver, but there are still a lot of great films that are made in the world. So many films are otherwise unavailable and people don’t know about them.”
Other high-profile entries with B.C. connections include the North American premiere of Wrecked, Canadian director Michael Greenspan’s claustrophobic car-crash drama, filmed in B.C. and starring Oscar winner Adrien Brody; and the South African-Canadian co-production The Bang Bang Club, a based-on-fact story about war photographers starring Malin Akerman, Ryan Phillippe and B.C.’s Taylor Kitsch.
Actor Bruce Greenwood heads home for the Whistler screening of his U.S. indie western Meek’s Cut-off, while U.S. cult director Monte Hellman (White Line Blacktop) comes to the mountains with Vancouver actor Tygh Runyan and their movie Road to Nowhere. Busy Toronto director Bruce McDonald brings three new features. Hard Core Logo II, produced by Vancouver’s Rob Merilees, is the sequel to McDonald’s 1996 punk-rock road-trip story; Music from the Big House documents a prison concert by Canadian blues artist Rita Chiarelli; and Trigger follows the reunion of a fictional folk duo (B. C. actor Molly Parker and the late Tracy Wright).
“Monte Hellman hasn’t made a movie in 20 years, Bruce McDonald made three last year, but they’re both passionate about their work,” says Donen. “Those are the people we want to bring to the festival.”
Other Canuck flicks include The Whistleblower, a drama about the east European sex trade by director Larysa Kondracki, starring Rachel Weisz.
The festival will award over $45,000 in cash prizes and commissions: The $15,000 Borsos Award for Best New Canadian Feature presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, B.C.; the $10,000 New Voices International Feature Award; the MPPIA Short Film Award presented by MPPIA and B.C. Film ($15,000 cash prize plus up to $100,000 in services); the $2,500 Best Documentary Award; the $1,000 Best Short Film Award; the $500 Best Student Short Film Award; the $1,000 Best Mountain Culture Film Award, presented by Whistler Blackcomb; and Best Actor and Actress Awards for films in the Borsos Competition, presented by the Union of B.C. Performers.
Information on tickets, hotels and schedules can be found at whistlerfilmfestival.com.
Source: The Province
Leave a Reply
Headline, Industry News
Whistler Film Festival hitting new heights this year
Monday November 08th 2010The Whistler Film Festival is peaking in its 10th year with nine world premieres, five Canadian premieres and 21 films getting their first western Canadian screenings.
There was a time when the five-day movie bash in the mountains had to make do with leftovers that didn’t make the cut at the earlier fall festivals.
This year, the festival opens Dec. 1 with Daydream Nation, a black-comic small-town story filmed in Fort Langley starring Kat Dennings, Andie MacDowell and Josh Lucas, and written and directed by Toronto’s Michael Goldbach, who is heading to Whistler.
The film screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, but the producers opted to make their B.C. debut at Whistler rather than the bigger Vancouver International Film Festival.
Daydream’s Vancouver-based producer Trish Dolman cited Whistler’s ties to Toronto’s Canadian Film Centre, which runs programs at the resort.
“We’ve submitted movies to Vancouver, but Mike Goldbach is a CFC graduate, and in this case we decided that Whistler was more appropriate,” Dolman said.
“Also, opening the festival is a really prestigious spot and certainly would have gotten us more publicity than if we were just another film at the Vancouver festival.”
All told, 68 films — 34 features and 34 shorts — will be shown on four screens in three theatres over the five days. Artistic director Stacey Donen says the event is aiming to become a venue for filmmakers to meet in ways they can’t at the larger festivals.
“Whistler is so intimate that they can get together all the time,” says Donen, in his second year with the festival.
“The kinds of films that are available [will change] from year to year. We’re definitely looking for films that haven’t played in Vancouver, but there are still a lot of great films that are made in the world. So many films are otherwise unavailable and people don’t know about them.”
Other high-profile entries with B.C. connections include the North American premiere of Wrecked, Canadian director Michael Greenspan’s claustrophobic car-crash drama, filmed in B.C. and starring Oscar winner Adrien Brody; and the South African-Canadian co-production The Bang Bang Club, a based-on-fact story about war photographers starring Malin Akerman, Ryan Phillippe and B.C.’s Taylor Kitsch.
Actor Bruce Greenwood heads home for the Whistler screening of his U.S. indie western Meek’s Cut-off, while U.S. cult director Monte Hellman (White Line Blacktop) comes to the mountains with Vancouver actor Tygh Runyan and their movie Road to Nowhere. Busy Toronto director Bruce McDonald brings three new features. Hard Core Logo II, produced by Vancouver’s Rob Merilees, is the sequel to McDonald’s 1996 punk-rock road-trip story; Music from the Big House documents a prison concert by Canadian blues artist Rita Chiarelli; and Trigger follows the reunion of a fictional folk duo (B. C. actor Molly Parker and the late Tracy Wright).
“Monte Hellman hasn’t made a movie in 20 years, Bruce McDonald made three last year, but they’re both passionate about their work,” says Donen. “Those are the people we want to bring to the festival.”
Other Canuck flicks include The Whistleblower, a drama about the east European sex trade by director Larysa Kondracki, starring Rachel Weisz.
The festival will award over $45,000 in cash prizes and commissions: The $15,000 Borsos Award for Best New Canadian Feature presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, B.C.; the $10,000 New Voices International Feature Award; the MPPIA Short Film Award presented by MPPIA and B.C. Film ($15,000 cash prize plus up to $100,000 in services); the $2,500 Best Documentary Award; the $1,000 Best Short Film Award; the $500 Best Student Short Film Award; the $1,000 Best Mountain Culture Film Award, presented by Whistler Blackcomb; and Best Actor and Actress Awards for films in the Borsos Competition, presented by the Union of B.C. Performers.
Information on tickets, hotels and schedules can be found at whistlerfilmfestival.com.
Source: The Province
Leave a Reply
Advertisements
