The tickets have been taken, the popcorn eaten and—most importantly—the awards handed out.
The Whistler Film Festival wrapped up its 19th edition on Sunday, Dec. 8. The big winner this year was Antigone by Quebecois writer/director Sophie Deraspe. That film won the $15,000 Best Canadian Feature Film as part of Borsos Competition awards. Deraspe also won the Best Borsos Director Award and Best Screenplay.
Meanwhile, the film's star Nahéma Ricci, was awarded the Best Performance in a Borsos Competition Film Award.
Wrapping up the Borsos awards, Best Cinematography in a Borsos Film went to Celiana Cárdenas for her work in The Cuban.
Other award winners included:
• Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, directed by Daniel Roher won the World Documentary Award;
• Director Tony Dean Smith and the film Volition won the brand-new Just Watch Us: Best BC Director Award;
• Coming Home, directed by Ryan Scura and Dylan Ladds, won the Best Mountain Culture Film Award;
• My Favourite Food is Indian Tacos, My Favourite Drink is Iced Tea and my Favourite Thing is Drumming, directed by Derius Matchewan, won the $1,000 Canadian ShortWork Award;
• Daughter, directed by Daria Kashcheeva, won the International ShortWork Award;
• New Washing Machine, directed by Mitch Huttema, won the $500 BC ShortWork Student Award;
• Heather Perluzzo and her film Wild Flower won the MPPIA Short Film Award;
• Liberte: A Call To Spy, written and produced by Sarah Megan Thomas, who also starred in the film, and Deraspe for Antigone, both won the EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Feature;
• Sonia K. Hadad, director of Exam, won the EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Short Film;
• Pamela Gallant, on behalf of her film Monica's News, won the Women in the Director's Chair 2019 Feature Film Award;
• Hedyeh Bozorgzadeh won the WFF Power Pitch, including a $41,000 prize package, for her film Brother Man: The Antonio Joao Story.
Celtic Christmas
The Sea to Sky Singers are set to celebrate the holidays with their show A Celtic Christmas.
The performance takes place on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. at St. John the Divine Anglican Church in Squamish.
"Beloved carols with an unmistakeable Celtic flair will transport you across the foggy moors and settle you safely back in your own home, just in time for a traditional ceilidh!" the description reads. "Bring your instruments as we raise our voices (and glasses!) in a time-honoured sing-along."
Special musical guests will include Katherine Fawcett on fiddle, Max Kony on guitar, and Erik Musseau on flutes and pipes.
Tickets are $20 (free for kids 12 and under) at Anna's Interiors or Concrete Blonde in Squamish. For more, visit seatoskysingers.net.
Glass etching
On Dec. 20, the Audain Art Museum's Art After Dark series will host a glass etching session. Inspired by their current exhibit Emily Carr Fresh Seeing, participants will learn how to incorporate trees into their work.
"Experiment with creating an image, turning it into a resist layer and then etching it into glass," the description says.
That workshop is for adults over 18 and runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The all-ages session, meanwhile, will take place from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and teach how to use vinyl tree cutouts and add them to clear cups. Kids 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
The workshops are free for anyone with a membership or with admission to the museum.
For more, visit audainartmuseum.com/events.
