Whistler Film Festival is one of the greatest events to attend every year. It was actually kind of pricey to get out to this one, but it was so much worth it. I had quite a fun time out there, there was so much going on, I can’t possibly describe the feel of it. Now, here are the best moments of WFF 2017.
Opening Gala: Starting off with a screening of Darkest Hour, this movie takes place in WWII. Gary Oldman acts as Winston Churchill as he goes out to face a large threat by Hitler. Nothing more exciting than a biography turned into an adrelaine-fueled movie that gets high approval. An interesting and shocking film, the only issue I had was the fact that my media pass wouldn’t let me in. Oh well, The spent money was worth it anyhow.
All You Can Eat Buddha: Give a man a buffet, he eats for life. Winner of The Best Borsos Director award, this funny feature shows what happens when a man discovers the powers of his super crazy appetite and his ability to produce magnetism during a vacation. I got a good laugh out of this one. Definitely worth watching.
A Worthy Companion: When a troubled woman meets a teenage pianist, a strange bond forms between the two of them. Very dark and chilling, but also it shows a nice caring bond between two people who certainly can share feelings together. I don’t understand why ratings on this one are only a little over half-good. I loved this.
Cardinals: Wow. Another drama. A woman named Valerie returns home from prison. What was she there for though? Nothing more than drunk-driving one night and accidentally killing her neighbour. But her neighbour’s son certainly won’t let her forget about it easily. This was an amazing mix of elements. Just the way the story was told really put me on edge.
Venus: The interesting and funny story about a transgendered woman who discovers she’s got a teenage son. This young boy starts to get to know his mom who happens to be of Indian heritage. I really got a good chuckle out of this feature. Such a concept.
Shortwork: Sure, we have feature films at WFF, but we also have short films at WFF too. The Shortwork events showcased films in the 20-minute range. These films were a wide mix of funny, deep, moving, informative and even strange. Everything was just so stunning to watch in these showcases. Not very long but still lots of fun. The short film award winner and a personal favourite of mine was The Things you Think I’m Thinking, which tells a story a black man with no fore-arms, getting together with someone more able-bodied. Chaotic at first, but the two work things out. Similar to an experience I went through while I was out here.
Signature Series: Let’s sit down and chat. At the signatures series events, this was an opportunity for festival-goers to listen to some of the individuals who submitted to WFF. Guests included Actor Bill Pullman, Director Kyra Sedgwick, Rossif Sutherland, Amanda Crew, Shiva Negar, Writer Dorothy Blyskal, John Whittington, and so many more people. Of course, this was also a chance for festival-goers to ask questions to the guests about their experiences in the industry.
Networking Parties: Aside from these taking time to set up, Networking parties are a great way to get together and meet the people you know in the industry. They’re also a great way to meet new people. What made these events even better is that folks would give you a free drink ticket. The networking starts out neutral but steadily grows overnight. At one point, it’s so packed that moving around is near impossible.
Awards Celebration: This was actually the last thing I got to attend on account of having to leave due to an early hotel check-out time. Still this showcased amazing awards for the greatest films of the entire festival. Some of them have actually been mentioned earlier in this article.
All in all, this was the best experience I’ve had so far. Actually, this is the first time I’ve ever covered WFF, and I have to say I’ll definitely be coming back next year, hoping to see some more amazing works of art in the digital format. It really does take a village to put together something of mass proportions like WFF.
