The Whistler Film Festival is seeking submissions for its 12th edition, which runs from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2, 2012.
The festival will feature up to 90 films comprised of about 40 features and 50 shorts, selected from over 1,000 submissions. Canadian and International filmmakers are invited to submit films of all lengths and genres by the following deadlines: May 31 for early film submissions (discount on application); June 29 for short films; and July 6 for feature films.
Cinematic excellence is at the heart of the Whistler Film Festival. To recognize the vitality of this art form and to mark its 12th anniversary, the 2012 Festival will feature six juried competitive sections and one audience award. Award categories include the Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature, International Feature Film Award, World Documentary Film Award, Mountain Culture Award, the International Shortwork Award and the BC Student Shortwork Award. All feature length films are eligible for the Audience Award, selected by the Festival-going public who cast their votes for the most popular film.
“We are anticipating an exciting year at Whistler in 2012.” says Shauna Hardy Mishaw Executive Director of the Whistler Film Festival Society. “Whistler is a festival that honors Canadian and international talent, and is committed to discovering new films and filmmakers from around the world. In just 12 years, it has become a festival that matters. A place where filmmakers, industry and audiences gather, and return to, and where the power of cinema is celebrated and reminds us why cinema has been and continues to be so important in our lives.”
The Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia celebrates independent vision, original directorial style and the diversity of talent found in Canadian independent film. Up to eight feature films of new, narrative work by Canadian filmmakers will be eligible. For consecutive eight years, Borsos competition entries have exuded the creative fire and artistry embodied by filmmaker Philip Borsos, known forhis inspiring work on the award-winning films The Grey Fox (1982), and Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990). All films must be Western Canadian Premieres. An international jury of three will award a $15,000 CDN prize. Esteemed jury presidents have included Bruce Greenwood, Ivan Reitman, Atom Egoyan, Donald Sutherland, Robert Lantos and Norman Jewison.
Whistler’s New Voices International Feature Film Competition will showcase up to eight innovative and unique narrative films from around the globe by directors with their first or second feature at the Festival. In our quest to discover and celebrate new talent, the Award recognizes the imaginative perspective and cinematic integrity found in these fresh new voices. All films must be Western Canadian Premieres. An international jury of three will select the winner.
Up to four films will be eligible for the Whistler’s Mountain Culture Film competition. As a reflection of the festival’s unique setting, this award honours films from around the world that capture mountain places and experiences with a cinematic flourish. All films must be Western Canadian Premieres. A jury of three will select the winner.
Whistler’s shortwork Competition will showcase up to 50 short films (under 50 minutes in length) within three short film programs or coupled with our feature films. Presented with verve and limited only by their duration, these short films display the extraordinary talent, dynamism and creative exploration found in the work of some of the world’s most interesting filmmakers. A jury of three will select the International winner and a Canadian winner, which is eligible for a $1,000 cash prize.
The BC Student shortwork Award will be presented to a short film produced by post-secondary students in British Columbia. A three-person jury will award a $500 CDN prize.
Film submission guidelines are now available at www.whistlerfilmfestival.com.
Taking place Nov. 28 to Dec. 2, 2012, the 12th annual Whistler Film Festival combines an esteemed international film competition with a concentrated industry summit organized to address the ever-changing landscape of filmmaking in the digital age. Renowned for its intimate nature, the Festival hosts filmmaking luminaries for an intimate five day program of screenings, tributes, industry initiatives and special events. Find outmore at www.whistlerfilmfestival.com.
The 2012 Whistler Film Festival is supported by Telefilm Canada, the Province of British Columbia and the Resort Municipality of Whistler, and is sponsored CTV, the Directors Guild of Canada – British Columbia, American Airlines, Tourism Whistler and Whistler Blackcomb.
About the Whistler Film Festival Society
The Whistler Film Festival Society (WFFS) is a charitable cultural organization dedicated to furthering the art of film by providing programs that focus on the discovery, development and promotion of new talent culminating with a must attend festival for artists, the industry and audiences in Whistler. WFFS produces one of Canada’s leading film festivals and plays a leadership role in offering project development programs for Canadian filmmakers.
