Hunting Matthew Nichols and Kryptic among B.C. contingent as Whistler Film Festival unveils Canadian entries
They’ll be competing in juried Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature at event December 4 to 8
Hunting Matthew Nichols, a B.C. film directed by Markian Tarasiuk and written by Sean Harris Oliver.
THE WHISTLER FILM Festival has announced a lineup of 12 Canadian feature films, with several B.C. offerings when the event takes place from December 4 to 8.
They’ll be competing in the Borsos Competition, overseen by a jury of filmmakers and awarding $35,000 cash and in-kind prize for Best Canadian Feature, making it the second-largest in the country.
The contenders are as follows:
• Aberdeen, written and directed by Eva Thomas and Ryan Cooper, a drama set in gritty downtown Winnipeg and focusing on the titular woman as she navigates a world of bureaucracy, racism, and the child welfare system;
• Darkest Miriam, written and directed by Naomi Jaye, about a grieving Toronto librarian who finds a blossoming romance with a young cab driver (executive produced by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’s Charlie Kaufman);
• Hunting Matthew Nichols, a B.C. film directed by Markian Tarasiuk and written by Sean Harris Oliver that follows a documentary filmmaker’s quest to solve the missing-person’s case, two decades after her brother mysteriously disappeared in a secluded forest on Vancouver Island;
• Kryptic, directed by B.C.’s Kourtney Roy and written by Paul Bromley, a female-driven sci-fi horror film about a woman’s search for a monster hunter;
• Lucky Strikes, written and directed by Darcy Waite, about a washed-up bowler who rekindles his competitive spirit when he teams up with his best friend to buy his late father’s bowling alley;
• Phoenixes, written and directed by Jonathan Beaulieu-Cyr, about a soldier on the brink of deployment in Afghanistan who becomes the coach of a struggling kids' soccer team in hopes of reconnecting with his son;
• Please, After You, directed by Rob Michaels and written by Amir Kahnamouee, centred on a young Canadian immigrant whose life is turned upside down when his naive cousin comes to live with him;
• Really Happy Someday, directed by J Stevens and written by Stevens and Breton Lalama, about a trans masculine singer who bombs a musical-theatre audition after testosterone treatments and must find his voice again;
• Sweet Angel Baby, written and directed by Melanie Oates, set in a small Newfoundland fishing community where unassuming Eliza’s secret social media persona is exposed;
• The Birds Who Fear Death, written and directed by Sanjay Patel, following two disinherited brothers who journey into the Canadian wilds to find themselves, their people, and their fortune (starring Adam Beach, Simon Baker, and Graham Greene);
• Who Do I Belong To, written and directed by Meryam Joobeur, about a Tunisian woman is caught between her maternal love and her search for the truth when her son returns home from war;
• and Sway, directed by Charlie Hamilton and Zachary Ramelan, written by Hamilton, tracking a successful Black community leader whose life spirals out of control within hours after his brother goes missing.
Awards in the Borsos Competition will be presented for Best Canadian Feature Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Performance, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.
The 2024 Whistler Film Festival is presenting more than 43 feature films and nine short film programs.
Single tickets go on sale November 5. 
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