Named “one of 50 film festivals worth the entry fee" in 2020, 2022, and 2023 by MovieMaker Magazine, the Whistler Film Festival combines an esteemed Canadian and international film competition with a concentrated industry summit organized to address the evolving landscape of filmmaking.

Now in its 24th year, “Canada’s Coolest Festival” continues to be recognized as one of Canada’s leading film festivals and industry events. The Whistler Film Festival and Content Summit features innovative and original films and voices from around the world and has become a premier destination for filmmakers to connect, network, and hone their craft.

Each year, the Festival includes up to 100 films (40 features and 60 shorts) from Canada and around the world, up to 40 industry panels and events, and brings together hundreds of Canadian and international industry delegates. In 2023, WFF welcomed over 13,000 attendees across all programs and platforms during the five days of the Festival.

Canadian and international filmmakers are invited to submit films of all lengths and genres. Submissions open March 1st and close August 15th.

Cinematic excellence remains at the heart of the Whistler Film Festival. There are seven juried sections with 15 film awards and over $36,500 in prizes to be awarded ($16,500 cash and $20,000 in prizes)

Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature
Canadian films and filmmakers are the proud centrepiece of the Whistler Film Festival. Canadian feature films, except Documentary features, with a minimum BC premiere status are eligible to be included in the prestigious Borsos Competition.

Borsos Competition films are eligible for the following awards:

- Best Canadian Feature Film ($15,000 cash prize sponsored by Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia and $20,000 production prize sponsored by Company 3)
- Best Director of a Borsos Competition film sponsored by Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia
- Best Screenplay for a Borsos Competition film
- Best Performance in a Borsos Competition film
- Best Cinematography in a Borsos Competition film Presented by ICG 669
- Best Editing in a Borsos Competition Film Presented by IATSE 891

Other Awards Include:

Best BC Director Award
The Best BC Director Award, presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia recognizes the achievements of BC Directors with feature films at the festival and selects one film for the distinction.

World Documentary Award
From the personal to the political, WFF’s World Documentary Competition showcases a selection of documentary feature films from around the world. All films must be Western Canadian Premieres at minimum.

Mountain Culture Award
As a reflection of the Festival’s unique setting, WFF’s Mountain Culture Award celebrates films from around the world that capture mountain places and experiences with a cinematic flourish.

ShortWork Award (Canadian and International)
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 promising filmmakers. Films are eligible for either the Best International ShortWork Award or the Best Canadian ShortWork Award ($1,000 CDN cash prize).

BC Student ShortWork Competition
Includes a selection of short films produced by post-secondary students in British Columbia. Films are eligible for the Best Student Shortwork award ($500 CDN cash prize).

Audience Award
All narrative and documentary feature-length films in the Whistler Film Festival are eligible to receive the Audience Award, which is a non-cash prize. The Festival-going public casts their votes to choose the most popular film in this year’s festival.

Thank you for submitting to the 2024 Whistler Film Festival!

Submissions are ONLY accepted via FilmFreeway. Applicants should test their online screeners thoroughly before submitting them, and ensure their online screener remains active on FilmFreeway until October 31, 2024. The Applicant has sole responsibility for ensuring that the submitted online screener plays in its entirety. The screener must contain English subtitles if the original language is not English. If WFF is unable to view the online screener, WFF may attempt, but is under no obligation, to contact the Applicant in order to obtain a replacement online screener.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT ACCEPT DVD SCREENERS.

If you have additional questions, please contact us at program@whistlerfilmfestival.com. Unfortunately due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to answer questions or provide feedback regarding your submission or selection status. WE DO NOT PROVIDE FILM FEE WAIVERS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

GENERAL RULES:

Because we do not provide film fee waivers, we will not respond to requests and appreciate your understanding in advance.

Film fees are payable by all major credit cards via FilmFreeway, and are non-refundable.

The Whistler Film Festival accepts submissions of films of all lengths, subject matters and countries of origin.

All submissions must have been completed after January 1, 2023. However, preference will be given to films completed within the Festival’s current calendar year, and which have a minimum Western Canadian premiere. Films that have been publicly telecast or made available online prior to the closing date of the 2024 Whistler Film Festival (in-person and online) will be disqualified. The only exception is exhibition at a film festival, either in-person or through a password or paywall protected virtual festival screening, both of which must take place outside the province of British Columbia. If you have questions about your film’s eligibility and premiere status, please contact program@whistlerfilmfestival.com.

As the Festival takes place in English Canada, non-English language films must be submitted with English-subtitles to be considered.

Entries previously submitted to the Whistler Film Festival will not be considered.

Trailers are not eligible for selection purposes.

WORK-IN-PROGRESS FEATURE FILMS:

Work-in-progress feature films at the rough cut phase are eligible for submission. If submitting a work-in-progress, please tell us what remains to be done to complete the film and when you will have it finished. Please be aware programmers only view the first version of a submitted film and will not accept a revised version of the film later in the submission process. Updated versions will not be screened except if considered for our First Look industry screening series.

FIRST LOOK:

Up to three feature films with themes of the environment, business or social change are selected by invitation to the First Look program. If your work-in-progress is a contender for First Look you will be contacted by one of our programmers.

All selected films will be notified by Oct 31, 2024. Projects may have distribution already in place.

Please visit our website to review Frequently Asked Questions: www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/festival/submissions/

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES AND ELIGIBILITY:

Canadian Narrative Feature Film
Canadian feature-length films are eligible for feature length narrative programming strands. Feature films must be 50 minutes in length or longer (including credits) to qualify for this category. A film is considered Canadian if the director is a Canadian citizen and if the film has been at least 51% financed through Canadian dollars or is produced in Canada. Canadian entries must have, at minimum, a British Columbia premiere status (i.e. has not screened in British Columbia prior to Whistler Film Festival) to be eligible for the prestigious juried Borsos Competition. If selected, films in the Borsos Competition must be available to screen on WFF's secure online platform. Documentary feature films are not eligible for the Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature. All feature-length films selected for the Whistler Film Festival are also eligible to receive the Audience Award. The Festival-going public casts their votes to choose the most popular film in this year's festival.

International Narrative Feature
Feature films from all countries are invited to apply. Feature films must be 50 minutes in length or longer (including credits) to qualify for this category. All narrative feature-length films selected for the Whistler Film Festival are eligible to receive the Audience Award. The Festival-going public casts their votes to choose the most popular film in this year's festival. All foreign language films require English subtitles.

World Documentary Competition
Feature-length documentary films from all countries are invited to apply. Documentaries must be 50 minutes in length or longer (including credits) to qualify for this category. Preference is given for films with World Premiere, North American Premiere, or Canadian Premiere status. Selected documentary films are eligible for the juried World Documentary Award. Selected feature documentaries are also eligible to receive the Audience Award. The Festival-going public casts their votes to choose the most popular film in this year's festival.

Canadian Shortwork Competition
Canadian short films are eligible for our ShortWork Competition and our Canadian ShortWork Award with a $1000 cash prize. All short films must be less than 50 minutes in length (including credits) to qualify for this category. A film is considered Canadian if the director is a Canadian citizen and if the film has been at least 51% financed through Canadian dollars or is produced in Canada. Preference will be given to films that have not already screened in BC.

International Shortwork Competition
International short films are eligible for our ShortWork Competition and our International ShortWork Award. All non-English language film screeners must have English subtitles. All short films must be less than 50 minutes in length (including credits) to qualify for this category. Preference will be given to films that have not already screened in BC.

BC Student ShortWork Competition
Films produced by students attending a British Columbia post-secondary education institution in a creative field are eligible for our BC Student ShortWork Competition with a cash prize of $500. All short films must be less than 30 mins in length (including credits) to qualify for this category.

Mountain Culture Competition
Whistler is a mountain town. This program is specifically curated to please local audiences that live and breathe the outdoors. Films submitted to this category should be related to mountain sports, athletic journeys, adventure filmmaking or environmental impact. Films can be short or feature length films.

NOTIFICATION OF ENTRY STATUS:

Applicants will be notified by October 31, 2024 of their final entry status via email to the FilmFreeway contact.

Decisions made by the Whistler Film Festival are final. Due to time constraints, the Programming Team and Selection Committee will not be able to respond individually to filmmakers if your film is not accepted. Upon receiving the Festival’s Official Invitation, film teams must re-confirm their eligibility status and officially accept the invitation per the instructions and deadline stipulated in the Festival’s Official Invitation.

The date(s), time(s) and location(s) of exhibitions of programmed films shall be at the discretion of the Festival. Your film may be scheduled to screen virtually across Canada, unless other geoblocking parameters are agreed upon with WFF in writing.

No film, once programmed, can be withdrawn.

Each official selection will be required to provide a press kit and materials upon acceptance.

SHIPPING OF INVITED FILMS:

All shipments for exhibition to the Festival must be prepaid. If you are selected to screen at WFF24, we will cover the cost of return shipping.

The Festival will ensure the integrity of the prints from the time of delivery to the Festival from the time that the print is delivered to a shipping agent for return. In the event of loss or damage to a print, the Festival must be notified of such loss or damage in writing by January 15, 2025. The Festival’s obligation is limited to compensating the producer or distributor only to the cost of replacing the damaged print. The Whistler Film Festival does not assume liability for damage to prints due to improper shipping containers or otherwise.

PRIVACY & ANTI-PIRACY POLICY

The Whistler Film Festival Society (WFFS) endeavors to take all reasonable anti-piracy precautions for copyrighted materials in our possession. By submitting to the WFFS, you release the WFFS, its Board, members, officers, employees, contractors, agents, partners, affiliates, and volunteers (“the Society”) from all risk and liability in the event of theft or breach of copyright of your materials while on Festival premises.

TERMS & CONDITIONS:

By submitting to the Festival, the individual or corporation submitting the film (“Submitting Parties”) hereby warrants that they are authorized to commit the film for screening at the Festival, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The Submitting Parties have submitted the film for consideration with the knowledge and consent of the Producer(s) and/or rights holders listed in their submission form.

The Submitting Parties shall indemnify and hold harmless Whistler Film Festival Society, its Board, members, officers, employees, contractors, agents, partners, affiliates, and volunteers from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

Participation in the Whistler Film Festival implies an understanding and acceptance of these regulations. The Festival reserves the right to rule on cases not foreseen by these regulations.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Robert Vaughn

    Paul and Angela run a very special festival. Their passion and commitment to independent film is evident in every detail. It's not about politics or commerce, it's about showcasing voices and films to the world that may not otherwise have the opportunity. Grateful to Whistler.

    December 2023
  • Great experience! Organizers were a delight, honoured to have Swoon’s World Premiere at such a great event surrounded by beautiful people and landscape!

    December 2023
  • Mostafa Keshvari

    Truly the coolest film festival in Canada with the hottest films. unmatched networking and great organizers. Highly recommended.

    February 2023
  • I am an alum of the 2021 screenwriters lab and also had a film programmed in 2022. Lisa and the entire team are amazing. They really are invested in filmmaker success in a tangible way. They really care for their filmmakers. Especially the Canadian ones.

    If you get a chance- GO. ❤️

    December 2022
  • Irina Lord

    Amazing festival! Incredible care and hospitality - they're true champions of Canadian independent film.

    December 2022