The Whistler Film Festival has filled its main slate with 11 debuts for Canadian films, including the latest films by Carl Bessai, Jeffrey P. Nesker and Joel Ashton McCarthy.

Whistler earlier announced world bows for Sean Garrity’s After the Ball, Sophie Deraspe’s Wolves and Cameron Labine’s Mountain Men as part of the high profile Borsos Competition.

In its latest lineup announcements, Whistler unveiled another eight world premieres, including for Bessai’s Bad City, which stars Dustin Milligan and Amanda Crew, Ashton McCarthy’s mockumentary After Film School and Nesker’s first feature Elsewhere, N.Y.

Whistler also booked world bows for two more first features, Murray Foster’s The Cocksure Lads and Matt Sadowski’s Pretend We’re Kissing, and Mike Douglas’ Snowman, a documentary feature debut.

And there’s world premieres for Jessica Edwards’ Stay Awhile, a documentary about the 1970s Canadian supergroup The Bells, and the romcom What an Idiot, by Peter Benson.

The Canadian slate contains in all 13 first feature films, including Jordan Canning’s We Were Wolves, Jeffrey St. Jules’ Bang Bang Baby, Adam MacDonald’s Backcountry and Jefferson Moneo’s Big Muddy, all of which bowed in Toronto at TIFF and are receiving western Canadian debuts.

Whistler will also screen Jeremy Thomas’ Ally Was Screaming and I Put a Hit on You, a first feature by writer-directors Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart, which bowed at Slamdance and stars Sara Canning.

There’s also western Canadian bows for Albert Shin’s In Her Place and Deanne Foley’s Relative Happiness, both of which are second films by the directors, for Jean Beaudry’s The Outlaw League.

Whistler will also screen Maxime Giroux’s Felix and Meira, which earned the best Canadian feature prize in Toronto, and Madeleine Grant’s The Backward Class, the Hot Docs audience award winner.