Stacey Donen has added Whistler to his film selection duties. The director of programming at Toronto post-production house-cum-rep cinema The Royal, Donen has been named artistic director of the Whistler Film Festival, effective Monday. Donen will continue working with The Royal as well as a programming consultant with Reel Canada, a national initiative designed to bring Canadian films into Canadian classrooms.

Donen has been living and breathing film selection for the past 10 years, beginning with his stint at TIFF as a Canadian cinema programmer from 1999 to 2006 — when he made the move to the refurbished Royal. He has been a consultant to the WFF since 2005.

Speaking to Playback Daily, Donen said the gig is particularly exciting because of the looming 2010 Winter Olympics. ‘Whistler is a fabulous place to hold a film festival and the Games will only intensify the experience. We will be attracting a lot of eyeballs.’ He declined to specify any special Olympic-sized programming, saying only that big announcements are pending.

Donen’s past experience with WFF made him an obvious choice for the role. While there was an application process, ‘attending the festival and knowing how it works allowed me to know what I could bring to the table,’ he said. The initial contract covers the 2009 event, which will run Dec. 3-6; however, Donen said he and WFF executive director Shauna Hardy Mishaw are discussing ‘a five-year plan.’ His predecessor, Bill Evans, left the post this past March after four years.

Apart from programming, Donen also has experience in filmmaking. An alum of the Canadian Film Centre, his producing credits include Yan Cui’s Chinese Chocolate and Gerald L’Ecuyer’s The Grace of God.

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This story has been corrected. Donen has consulted for the Whistler festival, not the Montreal World Film Festival as originally reported.