Twenty-one Canadian features have been selected for the 24th edition of the Whistler Film Festival (WFF).

Among them is a 13th film added to the previously announced Borsos Competition: The Trailer Park Boys spinoff Standing On The Shoulders Of Kitties: The Bubbles And Sh*trockers Story (BATS Film; pictured), directed by Charlie Lightening and produced by Gary Howsam, Jamie Brown, Mike Smith, John Paul Tremblay, Robb Wells and Lewin Webb. The film is making its Western Canada premiere at WFF.

The film follows Smith’s Bubbles as his band tours Europe with Billy Bob Thornton’s band. Blue Fox Entertainment and its Canadian division have picked up North American rights, with a theatrical release in the U.S. and Canada slated for Dec. 6.

Making its world premiere in the World Documentary program is Jules Koostachin’s Telus original NiiMisSak: Sisters In Film (VisJuelles Productions), which weaves shared truths with the personal experiences of being an IsKweWak storyteller in the film industry.

Two Canadian films making their world premieres as part of the new Play It Loud! program include Dale Heslip’s Blue Rodeo: Lost Together (Cream Films), which dives into the world of the Canadian band Blue Rodeo. The documentary will kick off the program on Dec. 5.

The other is Maria Markina’s music documentary Harkness (Storyline Entertainment). The film follows the titular Canadian psychedelic rock musician as he releases his debut album in 2021.

Previously announced world premieres in the Borsos Competition are Darcy Waite’s Lucky Strikes, produced by Madison Thomas, and Rob Michaels’ Please, After You (Vortex Media).

Other Canadian films screening at the festival include Matthew Rankin’s Universal Language (Metafilms), Canada’s selection for Best International Feature Film at this year’s Academy Awards. The film has already won  multiple awards, including best Canadian film at the Vancouver International Film Festival this year. The film is distributed by levelFILM.

Jason Buxton’s Sharp Corner, which recently won two top prizes at the Atlantic International Film Festival, will also screen. The film is distributed by Elevation Pictures.

Three other Canadian films will be part of WFF’s World Documentary program including the Crave original film Resident Orca, written, directed and produced by Simon Schneider and Sarah Sharkey Pearce. The documentary follows the fight to free a captive killer whale named Lolita.

The other documentaries are Jen Muranetz’ Fairy Creek (Understory Films) distributed by Cinema Politica, which documents the blockade of old-growth logging in Fairy Creek Valley on Vancouver Island; and Calvin Hwang’s The Legend in Me, produced by Lionel Conacher and Chas Conacher. The film follows the non-binary identity of Chas Conacher, the great-grandchild of hockey legend Lionel Conacher.

WFF runs from Dec. 4 to 8.

Image courtesy of Blue Fox Entertainment