Whistler Film Festival unveils full, Canada-strong program for 25th anniversary
Out of 106 features, more than 60 percent are Canadian; plus, Jay Kelly, a new Knives Out, and more
(From left) No Other Choice and Uiksaringitara | Wrong Husband.
THE WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL has announced its full program for 2025, complete with 106 feature films, with well over 60 percent of those Canadian.
Marking its 25th anniversary, the fest had earlier announced the opening and closing films for its live event, running from December 3 to 7.
Among the big-name international offerings is Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, with George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, and other stars. Elsewhere, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the latest installment from director Rian Johnson, features Daniel Craig as sleuth Benoit Blanc amid an all-star cast that includes Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, and Kerry Washington.
Cinephiles will want to catch No Other Choice, a dark societal satire from Korean auteur Park Chan-wook, of Decision to Leave and Oldboy; it features Lee Byung-hun of Squid Game as an unemployed man who enacts a ruthless plan to secure a new job by eliminating his competition. WFF will also recognize Park with the WFF Career Achievement Award in recognition of his body of work. Horror fans, meanwhile, can look forward to Keeper, with director Osgood Perkins following a couple whose cabin getaway takes a sinister turn; Perkins will be in Whistler in person for an appearance with producer Chris Ferguson.
The Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature includes B.C. contenders Akashi by Mayumi Yoshida, the horror sequel Influencers by Kurtis David Harder, and Starwalker by Corey Payette. Other highlights in the competition include Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks and Zacharias Kunuk’s Uiksaringitara | Wrong Husband, in Inuktituk with English subtitles.
Elsewhere, the France-U.S. coproduction Arco features Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Mark Ruffalo, and Andy Samberg bringing to life Ugo Bienvenu’s animated fable about a boy from the distant future who crash-lands in 2075. Scarlet, meanwhile, is a haunting fantasy from Japanese animator-director Mamoru Hosoda.
In the documentary realm, Métis filmmaker Shane Belcourt’s Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising looks back at the 90-day Indigenous youth occupation of Anicinabe Park in Kenora, Ontario, in 1974. This year’s World Documentary program, meanwhile, includes Caribou Country, director Luke Gleeson’s portrait of the deep relationship between Indigenous hunters and the northern caribou herds; director Marlene Rodgers’s The Rewilders, a celebration of scientists and citizens restoring biodiversity; One But Many, Janna Giacoppo’s examination of the collision between humanity and wildlife in Africa; and Menopause: Coming In Hot by Kate Green, bringing new perspectives to the conversation about women’s health.
Also announced were six expansive programs of shorts, and a Morning Fuzzies family program that includes a Cat Video Fest. The Content Summit, WFF’s industry and networking component with an expected attendance of 1,200 filmmakers and industry professionals, is set to announce its program later.
You can find the full lineup at whistlerfilmfestival.com. 
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