Whistler Film Festival announces 2022 lineup, with 86 releases in its 22nd edition
Highlights include White Noise starring Adam Driver; Thierry Donard’s Human Extreme; and the Canadian fest premiere of Guillermo del Torro’s Pinocchio
White Noise.
Whistler Film Festival takes place in-person from November 30 to December 4 at various Whistler venues and online from December 5 to January 2, 2023
WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL returns for its 22nd edition, with 41 features and 45 shorts for a total of 86 titles from 19 different countries.
Selected from over 2,000 submissions, the lineup includes 13 first-time features and 39 films directed by women. It has dedicated 66 percent of its programming to premiering Canadian features.
Programming strands this year are American Indies, Canadian Vanguard, Doc Bloc, Films From Away, From the Vault, Mountain Culture, New Voices, Special Presentations and ShortWork.
”With a particular emphasis on Canadian content creators and distinct and emerging voices, Whistler Film Festival continues to fill a valuable niche within the film festival ecosystem,” Paul Gratton, WFF’s director of programming, says in a release. “WFF has evolved into a premium showcase for exciting new motion pictures not previously shown at other film festivals. With our strongest lineup ever of Canadian gems, coveted international festival titles, and an inspiring selection of award-hopefuls, our 22nd edition hums with the energy and creativity that result when new voices mix with established filmmakers in one of the most awe-inspiring settings for a film festival.”
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.
WFF’s opening night features the Western Canadian premiere of Noah Baumbach’s White Noise, a parody of an ideal American nuclear family under threat starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig.
Highlights also include Academy Award winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, a stop-motion reinvention of the classic Collodi tale set in fascist Italy here having its Canadian fest premiere; and Bardo, False Chronical of a Handful of Truths by Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu (The Revenant, Birdman).
Jason Priestley returns to WFF for the world premiere of Offside: The Harold Ballard Story, which he directs. Other notable titles include Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion, Laura Poitras’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed; Vanessa Matsui’s first feature, Midnight at the Paradise; Jason James’s Exile, starring Adam Beach; Sean Cisterna’s Boy City; and The End of Sex by Sean Garrity.
The world premiere of French director Thierry Donard’s Human Extreme brings the fest to a close, tapping into the minds of extreme sports athletes.
The festival offers 15 film awards in seven juried competitions, as well as other awards, from World Documentary to Canadian Shortwork. Films will vie for a total of $223,500 in cash and prizes.
The coveted Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature is named for legendary Canadian filmmaker Phillip Borsos. The 2022 Borsos Competition features 14 films, including several works by first-time and female directors.
The Whistler Film Festival + Content Summit runs from November 30 to January 2, 2023, with in-person and online events.
The Whistler Film Festival Society’s RE:U:NITE Gala, its annual fundraiser, returns to the Whistler Conference Centre on December 3.
Fifty percent of net proceeds from online ticket revenues will be directly shared with the filmmakers or Canadian rights holders.
The Whistler Film Festival Awards will be presented in-person on December 4. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists’ EDA Awards for Best Female-Directed Narrative Feature and Best Female-Directed Short Film will be announced on December 13. The Audience Award will be announced online on December 28.
Full festival details are at https://whistlerfilmfestival.com.
Related Articles
