Village Gamer

Not only will Chinese box office blockbuster Finding Mr. Right screen at the 2013 Whistler Film Festival, it will also be the subject of a case study as part of WFF’s China Canada Gateway for Film® Script Competition, an innovative co-producing initiative that gives Canadian filmmakers access to the world’s second largest domestic film market.

Finding Mr. Right was one of China’s smash box office hit of the year and among the top grossing Chinese films of all time, earning nearly $83 million US at the domestic box office on a production budget of $5 million US. Produced by Mathew Tang of Hong Kong production company EDKO Film, this contemporary romantic comedy was mainly shot in the Vancouver area with an all-star Chinese cast. It was written and directed by Xue Xiaolu and co-produced by Vancouver based producers, Shan Tam and Michael Parker of Holiday Pictures. EDKO Film is one of the Chinese Production Companies looking for projects at this year’s China Canada Gateway For Film® Script Competition.

Writer/producer teams from across Canada have until September 30 to submit their story ideas for this year’s second annual China Canada Gateway for Film® Script Competition in Whistler. Presented by the Whistler Film Festival in association with Telefilm Canada, the Script Competition provides a level playing field to Canadian creators to participate in a China Canada feature film co-production by introducing experienced Canadian writer/producer teams to Chinese studios who are looking for good projects and have production financing available.

The 12 finalists, who will be announced by October 31, will pitch their story ideas at the Whistler Film Festival’s Summit on December 5 to a panel of three international experts and three Chinese production companies, including EDKO Film. Each company will pick a project to work with. Projects should be appropriate for a budget of $5 million.

WFF Feature Project Lab, an intense four-day business and marketplace immersion experience presented by the Whistler Film Festival in association with Telefilm Canada focuses on strengthening dramatic feature projects from script to screen by facilitating feedback as well as collaboration on and investment in film projects that have US and international appeal.

ELLE Canada’s October issue features the call for submissions for ELLE Canada’s Fashion Film Competition in partnership with the Whistler Film Festival. This exciting new initiative invites emerging filmmakers to submit short fashion films to ELLE Canada by October 7, 2013, for a chance to have their films screened at the Whistler Film Festival. An esteemed panel of judges including Noreen Flanagan, editor-in-chief of ELLE Canada and Paul Gratton, Director of Programming of the Whistler Film Festival, will review all the films and select three finalists who will join the editors of ELLE Canada at an exclusive cocktail reception at the 13th annual Whistler Film Festival, which takes place December 4 to 8, 2013.

WFF’s online box office is now open for early bird industry registration and festival passes until October 31st. Best accommodation rates are also available starting from $89.00 per night (subject to availability) until November 18th subject to availability. The Festival lineup, film schedule and individual film and event tickets will be available online by November 4th (until December 7th). The Festival Box Office opens November 4th for phone sales and on November 29th for walk-in sales.

Patrons Circle membership offers unique access to the Whistler Film Festival and our annual events. When you join our Patrons Circle, you receive event tickets as part of an annual package of benefits for two, gain exclusive VIP access to the Whistler Film Festival and private events, and support the kind of original storytelling that has enabled WFF to become one of Canada’s most important and recognized showcases for film, and a leader in facilitating project development opportunities for artists both within and beyond our borders.