Whistler reaches for the stars with annual Film Festival –

 Five days of film screenings, tributes, events and parties attracting industry insiders and celebrities alike

Suggested tweet: Richard Dreyfuss this year’s Tribute honouree at #WhistlerFilmFestival; more than 160 filmmakers to take part in this year’s event Dec. 4-13

Whistler, B.C. – The resort is the place to see and be seen as the annual film festival rolls into town with a full schedule of film screenings, red carpet galas, parties and special events.

The thirteenth annual Whistler Film Festival welcomes more than 160 filmmakers, actors, producers, writers and directors to the resort over five days in December. The WFF has become a mainstay on Whistler’s calendar of signature festivals and events.

New to this year’s event is the Whistler Film Festival Feature Project Lab – a business and marketplace immersion experience for six producers. The Whistler Summit brings together industry insiders to explore the evolution and convergence of the art, technology and commerce of cinema over three days of networking and business opportunities. The China Canada Getaway for Film Script Competition matches experienced writers and producers with Chinese studios and results in three projects receiving financing and support.

The festival kicks off December 4 with the Western premier of Jason Priestley’s Cas & Dylan at the Rainbow Theatre. Closing the festival will be The Crash Reel, directed by Lucy Walker. The Crash Reel is a documentary about the lifelong rivalry between two athletes preparing for the Winter Olympics and the events that unfold when one of the two has a near fatal crash. Kevin Pearce, one of the two athletes featured in the film, is expected to attend the closing night gala and screening event.

The festival features 84 innovative and original films representing a wide range of genres. The full schedule is available here. 

The film industry is competitive by nature and the WFF delivers in this arena as well. Film competitions and awards include the Fashion Film Competition, the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film, World Documentary, Mountain Culture, Best ShortWork, Best BC Student ShortWork, MPPIA Short Film Award and theAudience Award.

This year’s festival will honour Richard Dreyfuss as the Tribute honouree. Dreyfuss, whose career has spanned more than 40 years, will participate in an intimate conversation with Variety’s Vice President and Executive Editor, Steven Gaydos, on December 6 while the WFF’s In Conversation features Canadian-born actor and director Jason Priestley with Canadian television and radio personality George Stromboloupolous on December 7.

WFF’s Spotlight On, presented by Elle Canada, showcases Melissa Leo as this year’s Luminary honouree on December 5 while Spotlight on Stars to Watch includes actresses Ali Liebert and Emily Hampshire.

Variety’s 10 Screenwrit
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