Whistler Film Festival + Summit

Whistler, British Columbia V8E, Canada, North America

02 - 06 Dec, 2020

Category

Feature

Whistler Film Festival + Summit logo
Whistler Film Festival + Summit

Whistler, British Columbia V8E, Canada, North America

Is this your festival?

Is this your festival?

About the festival

The 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. The Festival hosts filmmaking luminaries for an intimate five-day program of screenings, tributes, industry initiatives and special events.

To recognize the vitality of the art form, WFF will feature eight juried competitive sections and 15 awards with $146,500 in cash and prizes to be awarded ($31,500 in cash prizes and $115,000 in prizes), plus one audience award selected from up to 1,000 submissions. Up to 90 films (45 features and 45 shorts) from Canada and around the world, will be presented.

To recognize the vitality of this art form, the 2020 Festival will feature seven juried competitive sections and one audience award selected from over 1,000 submissions. Up to 90 films, including about 45 features and 45 shorts from Canada and around the world, will be presented. Canadian and international filmmakers are invited to submit films of all lengths and genres: April 30th for early film submissions (discount on application); June 30th for regular submissions; and August 15th for late submissions.

Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature ($15,000 cash prize)
Supported by Directors Guild of Canada BC
Post Production prize included from Encore Vancouver

Best Performance in a Borsos Competition Film

Best Director of a Borsos Competition Film

Best Screenplay for a Borsos Competition Film

Best Cinematography for a Borsos Competition Film

Just Watch Us! BC Directors Award

Best World Documentary

Best Mountain Culture Film

Best Canadian ShortWork ($1000 cash prize)

Best International ShortWork

Best BC Student ShortWork ($500 cash prize)

Audience Award presented by Fishermans Friend

About

The 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. The Festival hosts filmmaking luminaries for an intimate five-day program of screenings, tributes, industry initiatives and special events.

To recognize the vitality of the art form, WFF will feature eight juried competitive sections and 15 awards with $146,500 in cash and prizes to be awarded ($31,500 in cash prizes and $115,000 in prizes), plus one audience award selected from up to 1,000 submissions. Up to 90 films (45 features and 45 shorts) from Canada and around the world, will be presented.

To recognize the vitality of this art form, the 2020 Festival will feature seven juried competitive sections and one audience award selected from over 1,000 submissions. Up to 90 films, including about 45 features and 45 shorts from Canada and around the world, will be presented. Canadian and international filmmakers are invited to submit films of all lengths and genres: April 30th for early film submissions (discount on application); June 30th for regular submissions; and August 15th for late submissions.

Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature ($15,000 cash prize)
Supported by Directors Guild of Canada BC
Post Production prize included from Encore Vancouver

Best Performance in a Borsos Competition Film

Best Director of a Borsos Competition Film

Best Screenplay for a Borsos Competition Film

Best Cinematography for a Borsos Competition Film

Just Watch Us! BC Directors Award

Best World Documentary

Best Mountain Culture Film

Best Canadian ShortWork ($1000 cash prize)

Best International ShortWork

Best BC Student ShortWork ($500 cash prize)

Audience Award presented by Fishermans Friend

Awards & Winners

There are no winners yet for this festival

Terms and rules

Thank you for submitting to the 2020 Whistler Film Festival!

ALL submissions are accepted via FilmFreeway Online Screener, YouTube or Vimeo link only. You will be able to enter this info during the submission page.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT ACCEPT DVD SCREENERS.

You can contact our Submissions Department if you have additional questions at submissions@whistlerfilmfestival.com. *Please do not contact us with questions or updates regarding your submission status or requests for waivers. WE DO NOT PROVIDE FILM FEE WAIVERS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES,

GENERAL RULES:

We do not provide film fee waivers, so please refrain from asking.

Entry fees are payable by all major credit cards via FilmFreeway.

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, 2019.

Non-English language films must be presented in English-subtitled versions.

Works in Progress are eligible for submission. Please be aware programmers only view the first version of a submitted film and will not accept a revised cut version of the film later in the submission process.

Documentary films are not eligible for the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film.

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

There are no submission fee refunds.

Films cannot have been publicly telecast or available on the Internet prior to December 6, 2020, with the exception of film festival screenings that have moved online due to Covid 19.

Trailers are not eligible for selection purposes.

NOTIFICATION OF ENTRY STATUS:

Applicants will be notified by October 31, 2020 of their final entry status via email to the FilmFreeway contact.

Due to time constraints, the Selection Committee will not be able to respond individually to filmmakers if your film is not accepted.

The Whistler Film Festival’s Director of Programming and Selection Committees review all film submissions.

Decisions made by the Whistler Film Festival are final.

The date(s), time(s) and location(s) of exhibitions of the films shall be at the discretion of the Festival.

No film, once programmed, can be withdrawn.

Each official selection will be required to provide a press kit upon acceptance containing the following:

A medium synopsis and one line synopsis
3-5 high-resolution stills of 1MB in size each minimum
Director Photo (also 1MB) and Bio
A full cast and crew list
Publicity contact if applicable
Premiere Status
Key Awards if applicable
A list of talent attending WFF with contact details
Canadian distributor and theatrical release date if applicable
Coverage restrictions
Secure online screener link,Blu-Ray and DCP
Minimum two copies of your poster for venue display
Print traffic information

EXHIBITION FORMATS:

Whistler Film Festival will accept ONLY the following screening exhibition formats:
Features: DCP (at our discretion), BluRay
Shorts: Digital file (under 10 GB)

SHIPPING OF INVITED FILMS:

All shipments for exhibition to the Festival must be prepaid. If you are selected to screen at WFF20, 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, 2021. 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) endeavours to take all reasonable anti-piracy precautions for copyrighted materials in our possession. By submitting to the WFFS, you release 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:

Upon selection, the entrant grants the Whistler Film Festival the right to utilize publicity materials related to the production (i.e. press kits, posters, stills, preview tapes, etc.) for promotional purposes in all mediums, including broadcast, print and internet.

All publicity materials for invited films (press kits, stills, posters, video clips) must arrive at the Festival at the sender's expense by October 10, 2020.

The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Whistler Film Festival 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.

The film has been submitted for consideration with the knowledge and consent of the Producer(s) listed in this form.

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.

Ratings & Reviews

Categories and fees

Canadian Narrative Feature Film
Early Bird (15th May, 2020) $40
Regular (30th June, 2020) $50
Late (15th August, 2020) $75

Films must be Western Canadian premieres to be eligible for the Borsos Competition (must have not screened in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba). All Canadian entries with a Western Canadian Premiere are eligible for our all feature length narrative programming strands including the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature featuring a $15,000 cash prize, sponsored by Directors Guild of Canada BC. All narrative and documentary feature length films in the Whistler Film Festival are eligible to receive the Audience Award. The Festival-going public casts their votes to chose the most popular film in this year's festival. All feature films must be more than 50 mins in length. Documentary feature films are not eligible for the Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature Selected films will be notified by Oct 31, 2020. Projects may have distribution already in place.

International Narrative Feature Film
Early Bird (15th May, 2020) $40
Regular (30th June, 2020) $50
Late (15th August, 2020) $75

International Narrative Feature Films are eligible for the following Programming Strands: World Now Discoveries Special Presentations Next Gen American Indies (if your country of production is the USA) All narrative and documentary feature length films in the Whistler Film Festival are eligible to receive the Audience Award. The Festival-going public casts their votes to chose the most popular film in this year's festival. All foreign language films require English subtitles All feature films must be more than 50 mins in length to qualify for this category. Selected films will be notified by Oct 31, 2020. Projects may have distribution already in place.

World Documentary Competition
Early Bird (15th May, 2020) $40
Regular (30th June, 2020) $50
Late (15th August, 2020) $75

All selected documentary films are eligible for the World Documentary Award, chosen by a jury of three documentary professionals. Films from all countries are invited to apply. All narrative and documentary feature-length films in the Whistler Film Festival are also eligible to receive the Audience Award. The Festival-going public casts their votes to chose the most popular film in this year's festival. Films must be Western Canadian premieres (must have not screened in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba) Films must be more than 50 mins in length. Selected films will be notified by Oct 31, 2020. Projects may already have distribution in place.

Canadian ShortWork
Early Bird (15th May, 2020) $20
Regular (30th June, 2020) $25
Late (15th August, 2020) $40

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 30 mins in length to qualify for this category. Preference will be given to films that have not already screened in BC. Selected films will be notified by Oct 31, 2020. Projects may have distribution already in place.

International ShortWork
Early Bird (15th May, 2020) $20
Regular (30th June, 2020) $25
Late (15th August, 2020) $40

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 30 mins in length to qualify for this category. Selected films will be notified by Oct 31, 2020. Projects may have distribution already in place.

BC Student ShortWork Competition
Early Bird (15th May, 2020) $10
Regular (30th June, 2020) $20
Late (15th August, 2020) $25

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 to qualify for this category. Selected films will be notified by Oct 31, 2020. Projects may have distribution already in place.

Mountain Culture Competition
Early Bird (15th May, 2020) $20
Regular (30th June, 2020) $25
Late (15th August, 2020) $40

In case you haven’t noticed, Whistler is a mountain town, and lives and breathes by its seasonal sports activities. This program is specifically curated to please the sports junkies that live and breathe the outdoors. Films submitted to this category should be related to any sports, athletic journeys, adventure filmmaking or environmental impact. Films can be short or feature length films. Submitters will be notified of their acceptance by Oct 31, 2020.

Matchmaking

What is the title of your film?

Type in your film's title

Choose a film to find matches for

Choose one of your film that you're already created, or create a new one to find matches for.

How long is your film?

Tell us your film’s duration

min.

What type of category does your film fall into?

Select one from the following list

What is the genre of your film?

You can select multiple genres

What should be the main focus of your festival strategy?

Please select one option

Monetary award

Select one from the following list

Festival qualifications that you're interested in

You can select multiple options

How much money would you spend on festival submissions?

Define us your submission budget

EUR

Start date of submission

Please enter a date when you plan to start submitting your film to festivals