Behind many great movies are great soundtracks.
Legendary composers such as John Williams, Hans Zimmer and Howard Shore have made indelible marks upon filmmaking, not unlike other titans in the acting and directing realm. The adventures of valiant Jedi Knights, enigmatic Fremen and intrepid Hobbits would not be the same without the motifs that call them to our minds.
Some films are created for the express purpose of documenting bands, whether real (U2: Rattle and Hum) or fictional (This Is Spinal Tap). The lives of iconic artists also spawn biographical productions like Rocketman, Bob Marley: One Love or Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Then there's a franchise like Transformers, which—despite its failure to impress critics—brought us five breathtaking and pulse-pounding music scores courtesy of Steve Jablonsky.
As a result, the 2024 Whistler Film Festival (WFF) intends to pay tribute to the musical side of cinema during its quarter-century anniversary.
"Before the pandemic and quite a ways in the past, we used to have a music showcase where we would bring bands in," recounts WFF executive director Angela Heck. "We haven't done that for a number of years … but this is really the first year where we're focusing on music on screen."
Lights, camera, rock 'n' roll
One of the imminent WFF's best causes is its "Rock the Fest FUN'Raiser," presented in conjunction with RE/MAX. It will be a Dec. 7 showdown in the Whistler Conference Centre between two famed keyboard warriors: Mick Dalla-Vee of Randy Bachman Band fame and Andrew Johns, who is known for riding shotgun with Alice Cooper.
Fans are strongly encouraged to wear their favourite band apparel and come loaded with all kinds of song requests. Taylor Swift, Queen, Nirvana, the Tragically Hip… virtually everything is fair game.
Proceeds from this event will go towards the Whistler Film Festival Society (WFFS) and its 13 Talent Development Programs, as well as the WFF and associated Content Summit.
"The music piece really resonates throughout the festival, and no more so than at the FUN'Raiser, which is our duelling pianos," says Heck. "We've got two incredible musicians. We also have a silent auction that will be online just before the festival starts with over $40,000—possibly even $50,000—worth of prizing, but all [items] are really accessible.
"This whole thing is the brainchild of one of our board members, Ann Chiasson, who's a leader in the community. She's been with us for many years and we're very lucky to have her. The FUN'Raiser is accessible for anybody in Whistler at the time, whether you're living here or coming up for the weekend."
Meanwhile, country rock royalty in this nation shall be celebrated at the Dec. 6 debut and Dec. 8 encore of Blue Rodeo: Lost Together. Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor narrate this new documentary chronicling four decades of their band, which is recognized with dozens of Juno nominations, a Governor General's Performing Arts Award and a berth in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Cuddy says in a press release: "We couldn’t imagine a better place to premiere our documentary than at the site of one of our top three most memorable gigs: the concert in the square after Sidney Crosby’s golden goal at the 2010 Olympic Games. We’re thrilled to share our story with the incredible people of Whistler and can’t wait to take in that beautiful mountain air once again."
A Sea to Sky language in a galaxy far, far away
Most of you reading this are probably familiar with Star Wars: A New Hope and the enduring global phenomenon it kick-started. On Dec. 7, you'll have the opportunity to know it by another name: Anangong Miigaading.
This unique project is a remake of the very first Star Wars movie in the Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) First Nations tongue. Originally brought to life as a language revitalization vehicle by former Manitoba MLA Dougald Lamont, it is produced by Michael Kohn with Ellyn Stern Epcar in the director's chair.
Disney/Lucasfilm was involved with the production, as were the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), University of Manitoba and Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council (DOTC). The team behind Anangong Miigaading is scheduled to speak about their unprecedented initiative as part of WFF's Content Summit.
Dubbing a film into a niche language isn't music, but it's an equally important kind of soundtrack, and the Ojibwe dialogue promises to complement Williams' famed score.
"Maybe Star Wars should never have been in English," quips Heck. "[Would they really] be speaking English on Tatooine?"
Another notable part of the Content Summit is named "Creating the Music Doc: Rights, Clearances & Creativity."
This session features Blue Rodeo manager Susan de Cartier, top film agent Matthew Safran, entertainment lawyer Byron Pascoe and John Ritchie, who owns his own production company. Together they'll discuss the nuanced challenges, legal obstacles and decisions facing those who wish to make music documentaries.
Heck encourages anyone and everyone to make some time between Dec. 4 and Dec. 8 to visit or revisit the WFF.
"We're coming up on our 25th year, and we're asking the community to come out and help us celebrate," she says.
For tickets and more information, head to whistlerfilmfestival.com.
