Gender parity as Whistler Film Festival unveils online and in-person programming for December event
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter opens a a lineup a strong female contingent
The Lost Daughter
WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL has announced a hybrid of online and in-theatre offerings—81 movies in all, including 40 features and 41 shorts across nine programs from December 1 to 5. Virtual streaming extends to the end of December.
At the same time, the fest is is unveiling a commitment to directorial gender parity, with 20 of 40 features and 25 of 41 shorts directed or co-directed by women or non-binary individuals.
The event opens with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, winner of the Best Screenplay Award at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, and featuring Olivia Colman, Ed Harris, and Dakota Johnson.
The online opener, meanwhile, is $avvy, a breezy American documentary that shows how women need to take control of their finances.
Closing the festival live will be the North American premiere of Chasing the Line, the Austrian biopic of 1976 Olympic gold medal ski racer Franz Klammer.
Online, the closer is Peace by Chocolate, about a Syrian refugee family that lands in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and recreates a chocolate factory that had been bombed back home.
Other highlights include Lune, a thought-provoking look on mental illness, and Moon Manor, about assisted death, and such LGBTQ stories as Dawn Her Dad and The Tractor and Pat Rocco Dared. There’s also a strong contingent of Indigenous films, including Run Woman Run, Tzouhalem, and Precious Leader Woman.
Meanwhile, from December 1 to 10, WFF21’s Content Summit is set to take off with a mix of virtual and in-person programming. The more than 34 sessions include keynote conversations, masterclasses, panels, roundtables, and one-on-ones.
You can see the whole lineup and find ticket package info here.
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