Whistler Film Festival annouces Borsos Competition and jury, Rock The Fest FUN’raiser

Whistler, BC – The Whistler Film Festival (WFF) has announced a lineup of 12 Canadian feature films competing in its prestigious Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature, overseen by a jury of some of the country’s most accomplished film and screen talent.

Now in its 21st year, the Borsos Competition – named after the legendary Canadian filmmaker Philip Borsos – awards a $35,000 cash and in-kind prize for Best Canadian Feature, making it the second-largest in the country. The competition shines a spotlight on Canadian feature film, putting an emphasis on innovation and artistic merit. The competition is presented by the Directors Guild of Canada-BC.

“The Borsos Competition is a fundamental part of the Whistler Film Festival’s DNA, and Canadian feature films are at the heart of it all,” said Robin Smith, director of film programming at WFF. “It was a super competitive year, with over 100 films vying for a slot. We are extremely proud and excited to be announcing 12 films this year – each brings a fresh, fun, and fearless perspective illustrated by the amazing talents bubbling up through the Canadian film landscape.”

Films competing in this category are judged by a jury of esteemed Canadian filmmakers, with awards presented in the following categories:

• Best Canadian Feature Film ($15,000 cash prize) sponsored by Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia as well as ($20,000 worth of post production prize) sponsored by Company 3
• Best Direction in a Borsos Competition Film sponsored by Directors Guild of Canada BC
• Best Screenplay for a Borsos Competition Film
• Best Performance in a Borsos Competition Film
• Best Cinematography in a Borsos Competition Film
• Best Editing in a Borsos Competition Film presented by IATSE 891 ($1,000 cash prize)

2024 FILMS IN THE BORSOS COMPETITION

Aberdeen | Written and directed by Eva Thomas and Ryan Cooper
Darkest Miriam | Written and directed by Naomi Jaye
Hunting Matthew Nichols | Directed by Markian Tarasiuk, written by Sean Harris Oliver (BC)
Kryptic | Directed by Kourtney Roy, written by Paul Bromley (BC)
Lucky Strikes | Written and directed by Darcy Waite
Phoenixes | Written and directed by Jonathan Beaulieu-Cyr
Please, After You | Directed by Rob Michaels, written by Amir Kahnamouee
Really Happy Someday | Directed by J Stevens, written by J Stevens, Breton Lalama
Sweet Angel Baby | Written and directed by Melanie Oates
The Birds Who Fear Death | Written and directed by Sanjay Patel
Who Do I Belong To | Written and directed by Meryam Joobeur
Sway | Directed by Charlie Hamilton and Zachary Ramelan, written by Charlie Hamilton

Some distinct themes of diversity have emerged within the Borsos Competition films this year, including four women-led pictures including Who Do I Belong To, Darkest Miriam, Sweet Angel Baby, and Kryptic. Really Happy Someday highlights the struggles of gender transition and provides insight into struggles faced by the LGBTQ+ community.

BIPOC: Aberdeen, Lucky Strikes and The Birds Who Fear Death are three films that highlight Indigenous stories of spirit, culture and tenacity, while Sway deals with issues around Black identity, trauma and masculinity.

Non-English language submissions include the French Canadian Phoenixes, while Who Do I Belong To is in Arabic.

Of note, Please, After You is a project that came up through the 2018 WFF Screenwriters Lab under a different working title. Writer Amir Kahnamouee won the Daryl Duke prize that same year.

BORSOS COMPETITION JURY

This year, the Borsos jury includes Emmy award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, and BBC’s America). Maslany is also the key guest of WFF’s popular Signature Series talent talk taking place on Saturday, Dec. 7. Maslany won Best Performance in a Borsos Film Award in 2013 for Cas & Dylan, and in 2012 for Picture Day, directed by Jason Priestly, which also took home the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at WFF.

Maslany appears in the upcoming films The Monkey and Keeper, both directed by Longlegs writer/director Osgood Perkins. She earned the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize in 2015 for Breakout Star. This summer, she completed The Nightbeast for Amazon, directed by Jamie Babbit.

The highly-lauded Tantoo Cardinal returns to WFF this year as a Borsos juror. WFF last hosted Cardinal in 2018 as a guest of its Signature Series. A trailblazing actor of Indigenous descent, Cardinal has recently been seen alongside Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s award-winning feature Killers of the Flower Moon. Series regular roles include Stumptown, 3 Pines and a new Marvel character in Echo. Cardinal has appeared in over 120 film and television projects over the course of her 50-year career. She has received multiple awards, five honorary doctorates, and is a recipient of the Governor General’s Artistic Achievement Award and member of the Order of Canada.

Borsos juror Cory Bowles is an actor, director and choreographer best known for his role as “Cory” in the beloved series Trailer Park Boys. Hailing from Halifax, his directorial credits include FBI: Most Wanted, Law and Order: Organized Crime, Studio Black, Pretty Hard Cases, Diggstown and other series direction for OWN, Warner, NBC and Netflix. His first feature Black Cop (2017) premiered at TIFF and earned Best Canadian Feature at VIFF, Best Narrative Feature at the St. Louis International Film Festival, and a Canadian Screen Award. Bowles has been nominated for Nova Scotia’s Lieutenant Governor’s Masterworks Award, is a two-time nominee for Outstanding Direction in a Comedy at the DGC Awards, and a three-time Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Direction in a Drama.

”We are honoured to be welcoming such an accomplished and illustrious jury to the Whistler Film Festival for the Borsos Competition this year,” added Smith. “Each juror has consistently proven themselves to be strong advocates of Canadian cinema and have expressed a deep and strong passion in participating at our festival this year. We are thrilled to be working with such great talents.”

The 2024 Whistler Film Festival FUN’raiser: Rock the Fest takes place on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 8 pm to midnight at the Whistler Conference Centre. Presented by RE/MAX Sea to Sky Real Estate, the FUN’raiser promises an epic night of music and fun with A&M Grands Duelling Pianos, featuring Mick Dalla Vee (Randy Bachman Band) and Andrew Johns (Alice Cooper).

Tickets are on sale now at https://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/film-festival/events

Wear your best band tee and bring your favourite song requests – from Queen to The Tragically Hip to Taylor Swift – and witness an unforgettable face-off between two of rock ‘n roll’s most legendary keyboardists.

There will also be plenty of exciting things happening throughout the evening, including a silent auction, Heads & Tails, a special raffle with amazing prizes up for grabs, and so much more. Cash bar available.

All proceeds support the Whistler Film Festival Society, which produces the Whistler Film Festival, Content Summit, and WFF Talent Programs nationwide.

2024 WFF dates to note

• Early bird industry passes are available until Nov. 4.
• Ticket bundles for films are available now, while Individual film tickets on sale go on sale November 5 with the festival’s full line-up announcement.
• December 4-8: The 2024 Whistler Film Festival presents over 43 feature films and 9 short film programs including Oscar contenders, breakthrough Canadian titles, heart-stopping adventure films, and award-winning stories from around the globe. Unique industry initiatives and lively events round out this cinematic celebration in North America’s premier mountain resort destination.
• December. 4-7: The industry-focused Content Summit serves up a robust four-day calendar of in-person programming, keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, and networking events in Whistler.
• December 10-12: Content Summit Online Networking (separate pass required) for 1:1 Market Meetings and Roundtable Discussions.

The Whistler Film Festival gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through Telefilm Canada, the Province of British Columbia and the Resort Municipality of Whistler. We gratefully acknowledge our major festival sponsors, Paramount +, Creative BC, Directors Guild of Canada - British Columbia, Tourism Whistler, RBC, Sunbelt Rentals, and Whistler Blackcomb.

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