On top of strong attendance at the ninth annual Whistler Film Festival this year, organizers also gave away thousands of dollars in prize money to a range of films.
Sophie Deraspe's Les Signes Vitaux (Vital Signs) won the $15,000 Borsos competition this year. The Quebec film, which is about a young woman who returns home to deal with her grandmother's death, made its English Canadian premiere at WFF. It captured the hearts of the jury, comprised of legendary director and producer Ivan Reitman, Emmy Award-winning director Niv Fichman and actress Jessica Paré. They selected Les Signes Vitaux from a range of new feature films that embody the spirit of independent filmmaking in Canada.
The $2,500 Best Documentary Award was actually awarded to two films this year: Pax Americana and Last Train Home. The $500 Best Mountain Culture Film award went to Mount St. Elias, directed and produced by Gerald Salmina.
The Cadillac People's Choice Award went to Rob Stefaniuk's Suck, a rock and roll vampire movie starring Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Rob Stefaniuk and Jessica Paré, produced by Whistler's very own Robin Crumley and Jeff Rogers.
In the short categories, the $1,000 Best Short Film designation was awarded to La Vie Commence (Life Begins) by Èmile Proulx-Cloutier.
The MPPIA Short Film Award was won by Kelly Ruth Mercier for Move Out Clean. Mercier walked away with a $10,000 cash award from the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of B.C. and a $5,000 cash award from British Columbia Film, plus additional in-kind production services. The completed project will have its world premiere screening at next year's Whistler Film Festival, which takes place Dec. 1 to 5, 2010.
VANOC looking for volunteer entertainers
Hundreds of amateur and professional performers will be roving throughout competition venues during the Olympics, keeping spectators entertained with song, dance and other talents.
This coming weekend, VANOC is recruiting volunteers to perform at the competition venues, namely, the Whistler Sliding Centre, Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Park and the Creekside alpine ski racing site.
"In past Games, we've always used volunteers for this type of entertainment for the competition venues, and it's always been our vision to engage the community - there's a lot of really talented groups out there," said Christie Nicolay, vice president of sport production and victory ceremonies for VANOC.
They plan to provide entertainment each day that there is competition in the venues, focusing on the times that people will be entering and exiting the venue, or lulls in the competition.
"Our first priority is to make sure that every spectator has a good time," Nicolay said.
Just a few weeks out from the Games, Nicolay admitted that they are starting a bit later than they had hoped with their recruitment efforts. However, she is confident that they will be able to find enough talented performers to meet the demand.
"I think we're right on track to sell the positions we need to."
Organizers are still developing the types of roving entertainment they would like to see at the venues, but Nicolay said she expects they will probably need to find a couple hundred performers - specifically, all types of musicians, drummers and a capella singers. They're not just looking for professional performers, either, but "gregarious, fun" people who have a natural ability to entertain and engage a crowd.
"...People that reflect today's Canada - multicultural, youthful, as well as actors that can play characters," Nicolay said.
Volunteer performers will have a pretty good view of the sporting events taking place at the venues and will also receive "shift gifts" of exclusive Olympic memorabilia for their involvement.
"Whistler is going to be party central and I think it'll be great for everyone to be involved," said Nicolay.
So far, organizers have had a good response from people in the Sea to Sky corridor, though they are hoping more come out to audition this weekend. VANOC is holding scheduled auditions on Sunday, Dec. 13 at the Squamish Volunteer Centre at 40437 Tantalus Road, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Interviews must be booked in advance by contacting Erin Mikaluk at [email protected] or by calling 604-403-2471.
Klarify calendar drops
It's almost time to change over to a brand new calendar, one free from appointments and memories. It's almost like turning over a new leaf.
On Sunday, Dec. 13, a local group will be releasing their new 2010 calendar, which was made in memory of a dear friend, Klara Knapek, who died in a tragic accident on the Pemberton ice cap in May 2008.
They've lovingly assembled the Klarify Yoga calendar in her honour, featuring 12 beautiful yoginis posing throughout the Sea to Sky corridor. All proceeds from the sale of the calendar will go to the Sea Lawson Young Travellers Foundation.
The final transition
Whistler's temporary artist-run co-operative gallery, Transition Space, is shutting down after operating in a donated storefront for more than a year and a half. Organizers have decided to go out with a bang, holding one final show before handing the keys back to Don Wensley, owner of Millar Creek Developments.
Wensley explains that they had no tenant for the property, which is located on Main Street behind Marketplace IGA, and a local real estate agent and friend, Al Jenner, pitched the idea of lending the storefront to a group of local artists who were looking for a space to exhibit their work. Wensley decided to give them a shot, and let the group, led by Andrea Mueller, use the space for well over the year they had requested, footing the heat and light bills, to boot.
"I'm not so sure we didn't owe it to the young artists in town. Our company does fairly well and I think it's not all bad for us to be generous," Wensley said.
Wensley recently rented the space to VANOC for the Olympics, but if another suitable tenant doesn't come forward in the spring, he said he would consider letting Mueller and local artists use that space or another of their properties as a community gallery again.
Dubbed "Chance," Transition Space's last show will feature artwork from a wide range of local artists starting on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m. The gallery will be closing for good on Wednesday, Dec. 23, but there are lots of locally made artistic goodies still for sale, so it's a great place to check off a few names on your shopping list.
