The annual Whistler Film Festival + Content Summit has officially began its 25th Anniversary edition! Taking place in Whistler, B.C. between December 3-7, 2025, this year’s programming features a wide array of feature-length and short films. Brimming with exciting adventures, personal dramas, seasonal scares, and everything in between, the festival features Canadian and international stories, as well as industry events, conversations with top talent, networking opportunities, and more.
The four-day Content Summit brings together leading executives, creators, and storytellers, allowing attendees to forge meaningful connections and gain valuable knowledge from industry leaders, with over 20 sessions, including keynotes, masterclasses, panels, roundtables, and 1:1 Market Meetings. This year’s programming explores themes such as the ever-evolving content landscape, navigating AI in film and television, inter-provincial co-productions, the future of kids’ programming in Canada, the evolving market realities facing documentary productions, alternative financing and distribution models, case studies and an insider perspective from writers, directors, actors.
Last but not least, the Screen BC Short Film Award pitch competition will take place on Friday, Dec 5. Established in 2007, the Award provides one filmmaker with the opportunity to further develop their directing career by realizing a unique creative vision in a short film project. The successful candidate will receive a $15,000 cash award plus services ‘in-kind’ valued up to $100,000 from across the industry, enabling the filmmaker to complete their project with the guidance of experienced industry professionals and support services provided by the top supply houses in British Columbia. The completed film will have its world premiere screening at the 2026 festival.
Feature-length B.C. films to look out for
In preparation for the festival, check out nine films from B.C. you can catch at the 25th Whistler Film Fest:
STARWALKER (2025)
STARWALKER (dir. Corey Payette)
In the beating heart of East Vancouver’s drag scene, Star, a Two-Spirit Indigiqueer performer, struggles to rise above the city’s shadows and claim their true identity. Starwalker is a luminous celebration of Indigenous and queer resilience — a love letter to self-expression, chosen family, and the unapologetic joy of authenticity. Bursting with music, movement, and spirit, it’s a dazzling journey from pain to pride, and from survival to radiant self-love.
THE ART OF ADVENTURE (2025)
THE ART OF ADVENTURE (dir. Alison Reid) *WINNER Mountain Culture Award — Feature Award
Between 1957 and 1958, Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster undertook the adventure of a lifetime — driving a Land Rover dubbed “the Grizzly Torque” 30,000 kilometres across Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. More than just an adrenaline-pumping adventure story of two young men crossing half the planet, The Art of Adventure maps out how Bateman and Foster’s trip inspired a love of nature that would last a lifetime.
INFLUENCERS (2025)
INFLUENCERS (dir. Kurtis David Harder)
In the sun-soaked luxury of a French countryside retreat, CW and her girlfriend Diane arrive for what should be a romantic escape, but their plans are quickly shattered when Charlotte, a charismatic and wildly popular influencer, appears, effortlessly drawing attention and unsettling CW. What begins as subtle envy soon spirals into a dangerous game of manipulation, obsession and identity, where loyalty, desire, and self-preservation blur.
OUR KIND OF CHAOS (2025)
OUR KIND OF CHAOS (dir. Clayton Larsen, Ryan Stutt)
In the early 1990s, snowboarding was viewed as a passing fad and a major nuisance at ski resorts in British Columbia—anyone on a snowboard was seen as a hooligan disturbing the peace and quickly kicked out. But a group of misfit teenagers clashed with the vision skiers had for their mountains—they ended up revolutionizing snowboarding through the highly-controversial WHISKEY videos—taking it from a gimmicky fad to the powerhouse sport that dominates the Winter Olympics and is a billion-dollar global snowboard industry today. In the present day, as these iconic teenagers are now nearing their 60s, they have the benefit of hindsight and years of introspection.
KEEPER (2025)
KEEPER (dir. Osgood Perkins)
On their anniversary, Liz and Malcolm retreat to a secluded cabin, seeking solace and reconnection. When Malcolm abruptly returns to the city, Liz is left alone, only to encounter a malevolent presence that exposes the cabin’s dark secrets and her own buried fears. As the boundaries between reality and nightmare blur, Liz must confront the unsettling truths of her past and the sinister force that threatens her.
THE REWILDERS (2025)
THE REWILDERS (dir. Marlene Rodgers)
Since 1970, Earth has lost more than 60% of its biodiversity, with devastating consequences: accelerated global warming, collapsing ecosystems, and the threat of mass extinction. Yet a powerful solution is taking root—rewilding the planet. THE REWILDERS follows pioneering conservationists across three continents who are restoring keystone species and reshaping our relationship with the natural world. Visually spectacular and deeply human, THE REWILDERS is a call to action to let nature lead the way in saving our shared future.
AKASHI (2025)
AKASHI (dir. Mayumi Yoshida) *WINNER Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature
When Kana, a Japanese artist living in Vancouver, returns to Tokyo for her grandmother’s funeral, she finds herself caught between two worlds — the life she has built abroad and the one she left behind. As family expectations close in and an old flame, Hiro, reappears, Kana begins to question where she truly belongs. Amid her grandmother’s belongings, she uncovers traces of a long-buried secret — a love that defied time and tradition. Drawn into the mystery, Kana begins to see her family’s past reflected in her own life, blurring the lines between memory and self, duty and desire.
MENOPAUSE: COMING IN HOT (2025)
MENOPAUSE: COMING IN HOT (dir. Kate Green)
As filmmaker Kate Green hits 49, she’s on a mission to uncover the truth about one of the most misunderstood and under-researched stages of a woman’s life. Armed with humour, curiosity and a camera, she dives into the world of hormones, hot flashes, and health misinformation, seeking real answers from doctors, scientists and fellow women who are rewriting the narrative. At once hilarious and empowering, the film reframes menopause not as an ending, but as a second coming of age – one that’s long overdue for the spotlight.
FORWARD (2025)
FORWARD (dir. Nic Collar)
A documentary that celebrates the power of adaptive adventure through the story of Clay March, a young man with cerebral palsy whose love for skiing, surfing, and the outdoors pushes the limits of possibility. Alongside his triplet brother Tanner, Clay’s journey is both personal and universal — a reminder that adventure is for everyone, no matter the barriers. Filmed against the breathtaking backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, Forward highlights the resilience of athletes who refuse to be defined by society’s perceived limits.
ON THE LINE (2025)
20+ B.C. short films will also be screened at the festival, including:
- ADVERSE POSSESSION (dir. Norman Yi Li)
- ON THE LINE (dir. Anastasia Itkina)
- AIRTIME (dir. Griffin Elsley, Alex Clapin)
- DINNER RUSH (dir. Milton Ng)
- BLUE FOR YOU (dir. Sebastian Ortiz Wilkins)
Additionally, check out the B.C. Student Shorts screened this year. From Holidays of Horror to Ancestral Tales and West Coast Trails, The Graduates is a stunning collection of British Columbia’s next generation of storytellers.
Learn more about the Whistler Film Festival on their website and stay tuned for highlights from the 25th edition on their Instagram page.
Featured image: AIRTIME (2025).
