The Borsos Competition is the main awards program for Canadian feature films screening at the annual Whistler Film Festival.[1] Introduced for the first time in 2004, the juried competition presents six awards annually to honour films, actors, screenplays, directors, cinematographers and editors in Canadian cinema. Initially, only films that were having their world premieres at Whistler were eligible for the competition,[2] although this requirement was soon dropped as the festival had difficulty attracting entrants who were willing to forego larger film festivals such as TIFF or the FNC, and thereafter films selected for competition only had to be a regional premiere within the Western Canada region.
From the award's inauguration until 2015, six films were selected for competition each year, except in 2012 when eight films competed; in 2015, the festival dropped size limits, and since then the competition has typically included between 10 and 20 films per year.
The award is named in memory of Canadian film director Phillip Borsos.[3]
The festival also presents several other awards, which are not part of the Borsos Competition.
Films in competition edit
2000s edit
| Year | Film | Director | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Papal Chase | Kenny Hotz | [4] |
| Better Off in Bed | Reginald Harkema | [5] | |
| Cable Beach | James Head | ||
| Eighteen | Richard Bell | ||
| Part of the Game | Rick Alyea | ||
| Pink Ludoos | Gaurav Seth | ||
| 2005 | Exiles in Lotusland | Ilan Saragosti | [6] |
| The End of Silence | Anita Doron | [7] | |
| Fetching Cody | David Ray | ||
| Love Is Work | John Kalangis | ||
| Six Figures | David Christensen | ||
| The Zero Sum | Raphael Assaf | ||
| 2006 | The Secret Life of Happy People (La vie secrète des gens heureux) | Stéphane Lapointe | [8] |
| Immigrant | Bojan Bodružić | [9] | |
| The Point | Joshua Dorsey | ||
| SK8 | S. Wyeth Clarkson | ||
| Steel Toes | David Gow, Mark Adam | ||
| Who Loves the Sun | Matt Bissonnette | ||
| Craft awards: • Catherine De Léan (The Secret Life of Happy People) and Andrew Walker (Steel Toes), Best Performance |
[8] | ||
| 2007 | Continental, a Film Without Guns (Continental, un film sans fusil) | Stéphane Lafleur | [10] |
| Amal | Richie Mehta | [11] | |
| Family Motel | Helene Klodawsky | ||
| Portage | Sascha Drews, Ezra Krybus | ||
| River | Mark Wihak | ||
| Walk All Over Me | Robert Cuffley | ||
| Craft awards: • Maya Batten-Young (River) and Rupinder Nagra (Amal), Best Performance |
[10] | ||
| 2008 | 3 Seasons | Jim Donovan | [12] |
| The Baby Formula | Alison Reid | [13] | |
| Before Tomorrow (Le jour avant le lendemain) | Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Madeline Ivalu | ||
| Girlfriend Experience | Ileana Pietrobruno | ||
| Nurse.Fighter.Boy | Charles Officer | ||
| Who Is KK Downey? | Pat Kiely, Darren Curtis | ||
| Craft awards: • Clark Johnson (Nurse.Fighter.Boy) and Carinne Leduc (3 Seasons), Best Performance |
[12] | ||
| 2009 | Vital Signs (Les Signes vitaux) | Sophie Deraspe | [14] |
| Defendor | Peter Stebbings | [15] | |
| Machotaildrop | Corey Adams, Alex Craig | ||
| Skid Love | Ryan Arnold | ||
| The Wild Hunt | Alexandre Franchi | ||
| Year of the Carnivore | Sook-Yin Lee | ||
| Craft awards: • Marie-Hélène Bellavance (Vital Signs) and Woody Harrelson (Defendor), Best Performance |
[14] | ||
2010s edit
| Year | Film | Director | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Whistleblower | Larysa Kondracki | [16] |
| Good Neighbours | Jacob Tierney | [17] | |
| Hard Core Logo 2 | Bruce McDonald | ||
| Jo for Jonathan (Jo pour Jonathan) | Maxime Giroux | ||
| Small Town Murder Songs | Ed Gass-Donnelly | ||
| Wrecked | Michael Greenspan | ||
| Craft awards: • Raphaël Lacaille (Jo for Jonathan) and Martha Plimpton (Small Town Murder Songs), Best Performance |
[16] | ||
| 2011 | Keyhole | Guy Maddin | [18] |
| 388 Arletta Avenue | Randall Cole | [19] | |
| Café de Flore | Jean-Marc Vallée | ||
| Doppelgänger Paul | Dylan Akio Smith, Kris Elgstrand | ||
| Marilyn | Christopher Petry | ||
| Monsieur Lazhar | Philippe Falardeau | ||
| Craft awards: None presented this year. | [18] | ||
| 2012 | Picture Day | Kate Melville | [20] |
| All That You Possess (Tout ce que tu possèdes) | Bernard Émond | [21] | |
| Blood Pressure | Sean Garrity | ||
| Fair Sex (Les Manèges humains) | Martin Laroche | ||
| Home Again | Sudz Sutherland | ||
| Mad Ship | David Mortin | ||
| My Awkward Sexual Adventure | Sean Garrity | ||
| Still Mine | Michael McGowan | ||
| Craft awards: • Marie-Évelyne Lessard (Fair Sex) and Tatiana Maslany (Picture Day), Best Performance |
[20] | ||
| 2013 | |||
| The Husband | Bruce McDonald | [22] | |
| Cas & Dylan | Jason Priestley | [23] | |
| Louis Cyr (Louis Cyr, l'homme le plus fort du monde) | Daniel Roby | ||
| Patch Town | Craig Goodwill | ||
| Siddharth | Richie Mehta | ||
| Uvanga | Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Madeline Ivalu | ||
| Craft awards: • Tatiana Maslany (Cas & Dylan), Best Performance |
[22] | ||
| 2014 | Felix and Meira (Félix et Meira) | Maxime Giroux | [24] |
| After the Ball | Sean Garrity | [25] | |
| Bang Bang Baby | Jeffrey St. Jules | ||
| Mountain Men | Cameron Labine | ||
| Relative Happiness | Deanne Foley | ||
| Wolves | David Hayter | ||
| Craft awards: • Hadas Yaron (Felix and Meira), Best Performance • Maxime Giroux (Felix and Meira), Best Director, Best Screenplay |
[24] | ||
| 2015 | River | Jamie M. Dagg | [26] |
| Basic Human Needs | Matthew Yim | [27] | |
| The Birdwatcher | Siobhan Devine | ||
| The Colossal Failure of the Modern Relationship | Sergio Navarretta | ||
| The Demons (Les Démons) | Philippe Lesage | ||
| The Diary of an Old Man (Le Journal d’un vieil homme) | Bernard Émond | ||
| Forsaken | Jon Cassar | ||
| FSM | Melanie M. Jones | ||
| He Hated Pigeons | Ingrid Veninger | ||
| The Hotel Dieu | Adrian Thiessen | ||
| The Mirage (Le Mirage) | Ricardo Trogi | ||
| Natasha | David Bezmozgis | ||
| Nestor | Daniel Robinson | ||
| Numb | Jason R. Goode | ||
| Patterson's Wager | O. Corbin Saleken | ||
| The Sabbatical | Brian Stockton | ||
| The Steps | Andrew Currie | ||
| The Sublet | John Ainslie | ||
| Suspension | Jeffery Scott Lando | ||
| Craft awards: • Paul Savoie (The Diary of an Old Man), Best Performance • Jamie M. Dagg (River), Best Director, Best Screenplay • Dylan Macleod (He Hated Pigeons), Best Cinematography |
[26] | ||
| 2016 | Before the Streets (Avant les rues) | Chloé Leriche | [28] |
| An American Dream: The Education of William Bowman | Ken Finkleman | [29] | |
| The Cyclotron (Le Cyclotron) | Olivier Asselin | ||
| The Death (and Life) of Carl Naardlinger | Katherine Schlemmer | ||
| Grand Unified Theory | David Ray | ||
| Hunting Pignut | Martine Blue | ||
| It's Not My Fault and I Don't Care Anyway | Chris Craddock | ||
| Lost Solace | Chris Scheuerman | ||
| Lovesick | Tyson Caron | ||
| Menorca | John Barnard | ||
| Population Zero | Adam Levins | ||
| Raw | David I. Strasser | ||
| Red Mile | Justin McConnell | ||
| The Second Time Around | Leon Marr | ||
| The Space Between | Amy Jo Johnson | ||
| The Squealing Game | Steve Kerr | ||
| The Sun at Midnight | Kirsten Carthew | ||
| The 3 L'il Pigs 2 (Les 3 p'tits cochons 2) | Jean-François Pouliot | ||
| The Void | Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski | ||
| Craft awards: • Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (The Sun at Midnight), Best Performance • Chloé Leriche (Before the Streets), Best Director • Olivier Asselin (The Cyclotron), Best Screenplay • Mathieu Laverdière (The Cyclotron), Best Cinematography |
[28] | ||
| 2017 | All You Can Eat Buddha | Ian Lagarde | [30] |
| Allure | Carlos and Jason Sanchez | ||
| 8 Minutes Ahead | Ben Hoskyn | [31] | |
| Becoming Burlesque | Jackie English | ||
| The Cannon | Marshall Axani | ||
| Cardinals | Grayson Moore, Aidan Shipley | ||
| The Definites | Hannah Cheesman, Mackenzie Donaldson | ||
| Hochelaga, Land of Souls (Hochelaga, terre des âmes) | François Girard | ||
| Juggernaut | Daniel DiMarco | ||
| Mobile Homes | Vladimir de Fontenay | ||
| Never Saw It Coming | Gail Harvey | ||
| Nobody Famous | Sarah Rotella | ||
| Porcupine Lake | Ingrid Veninger | ||
| The Prodigal Dad | Robert Wenzek | ||
| Prodigals | Michelle Ouellet | ||
| Santa Stole Our Dog | Bryan Michael Stoller | ||
| Someone Else's Wedding | Pat Kiely | ||
| Trench 11 | Leo Scherman | ||
| Tulipani, Love, Honour and a Bicycle | Mike van Diem | ||
| Venus | Eisha Marjara | ||
| Craft awards: • Evan Rachel Wood (Allure), Best Performance • Ian Lagarde (All You Can Eat Buddha), Best Director • Grayson Moore (Cardinals), Best Screenplay • Sara Mishara (Allure), Best Cinematography |
[30] | ||
| 2018 | A Colony (Une colonie) | Geneviève Dulude-De Celles | [32] |
| Acquainted | Natty Zavitz | ||
| An Audience of Chairs | Deanne Foley | ||
| Bella Ciao! | Carolyn Combs | ||
| The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova | Zack Bernbaum | ||
| Falls Around Her | Darlene Naponse | ||
| Family First (Chien de garde) | Sophie Dupuis | ||
| The Fireflies Are Gone (La Disparition des lucioles) | Sébastien Pilote | ||
| Honey Bee | Rama Rau | ||
| In God I Trust | Maja Zdanowski | ||
| Nose to Tail | Jesse Zigelstein | ||
| Red Rover | Shane Belcourt | ||
| Roobha | Lenin M. Sivam | ||
| Les Salopes, or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin (Les salopes ou le sucre naturel de la peau) | Renée Beaulieu | ||
| Sashinka | Kristina Wagenbauer | ||
| Stockholm | Robert Budreau | ||
| Trouble in the Garden | Roz Owen | ||
| Woodland | Jon Silverberg | ||
| Craft awards: • Émilie Bierre (A Colony), Best Performance • Geneviève Dulude-De Celles (A Colony), Best Director • Robert Budreau (Stockholm), Best Screenplay • Michel La Veaux (The Fireflies Are Gone), Best Cinematography |
[32] | ||
| 2019 | Antigone | Sophie Deraspe | [33] |
| Apapacho | Marquise Lepage | [34] | |
| Black Conflux | Nicole Dorsey | ||
| Body and Bones | Melanie Oates | ||
| Canadian Strain | Geordie Sabbagh | ||
| The Cuban | Sergio Navarretta | ||
| Dreamland | Bruce McDonald | ||
| Entangled | Gaurav Seth | ||
| Fall Back Down | S. B. Edwards | ||
| From the Vine | Sean Cisterna | ||
| Guilt (Le Coupable) | Onur Karaman | ||
| Hammer | Christian Sparkes | ||
| The Marijuana Conspiracy | Craig Pryce | ||
| Promiseland | Kirk Caouette | ||
| Queen of the Morning Calm | Gloria Ui Young Kim | ||
| Spinster | Andrea Dorfman | ||
| Things I Do for Money | Warren P. Sonoda | ||
| Thunderbird | Nicholas Treeshin | ||
| Volition | Tony Dean Smith | ||
| We Had It Coming | Paul Barbeau | ||
| Craft awards: • Nahéma Ricci (Antigone), Best Performance • Sophie Deraspe (Antigone), Best Director, Best Screenplay • Celiana Cárdenas (The Cuban), Best Cinematography |
[33] | ||
2020s edit
| Year | Film | Director | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Little Orphans | Ruth Lawrence | [35] |
| All In Madonna | Arnold Lim | [36] | |
| An Introvert's Guide to High School | Sophie Harvey | ||
| Between Waves | Virginia Abramovich | ||
| The Corruption of Divine Providence | Jeremy Torrie | ||
| Goddess of the Fireflies (La déesse des mouches à feu) | Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette | ||
| In Her City | Carl Bessai | ||
| Indian Road Trip | Allan W. Hopkins | ||
| The Marina (La Marina) | Christophe Levac, Étienne Galloy | ||
| Mercy | Sam Flamont | ||
| Québexit | Joshua Demers | ||
| Still the Water | Susan Rodgers | ||
| Sugar Daddy | Wendy Morgan | ||
| Underground (Souterrain) | Sophie Dupuis | ||
| You Will Remember Me (Tu te souviendras de moi) | Éric Tessier | ||
| Craft awards: • Rémy Girard (You Will Remember Me), Best Performance • Sophie Dupuis (Underground), Best Director • Gail Maurice, Xavier Yuvens and Joshua Demers (Québexit), Best Screenplay • Fred Gervais-Dupuis (The Marina), Best Cinematography |
[35] | ||
| 2021 | Cinema of Sleep | Jeffrey St. Jules | [37] |
| Altar Boy | Serville Poblete | [38] | |
| Carmen | Valerie Buhagiar | ||
| Confessions of a Hitman | Luc Picard | ||
| Dawn, Her Dad and the Tractor | Shelley Thompson | ||
| Drinkwater | Stephen Campanelli | ||
| Evelyne | Carl Bessai | ||
| Inès | Renée Beaulieu | ||
| The Inhuman (L'Inhumain) | Jason Brennan | ||
| Lune | Arturo Pérez Torres, Aviva Armour-Ostroff | ||
| The Noise of Engines (Le Bruit des moteurs) | Philippe Grégoire | ||
| Nouveau Québec | Sarah Fortin | ||
| Peace by Chocolate | Jonathan Keijser | ||
| Run Woman Run | Zoe Leigh Hopkins | ||
| We're All in This Together | Katie Boland | ||
| Craft awards: • Dayo Ade (Cinema of Sleep), Best Performance • Luc Picard (Confessions of a Hitman), Best Director • Sarah Fortin (Nouveau Québec), Best Screenplay • Diego Guijarro (Carmen), Best Cinematography |
[37] | ||
| 2022 | Coyote | Katherine Jerkovic | [39] |
| The 12 Tasks of Imelda (Les 12 travaux d’Imelda) | Martin Villeneuve | [40] | |
| Adult Adoption | Karen Knox | ||
| Broken Angel | Jules Arita Koostachin | ||
| Colorblind | Mostafa Keshvari | ||
| Diaspora | Deco Dawson | ||
| The End of Sex | Sean Garrity | ||
| Exile | Jason James | ||
| Lissa's Trip | Jeffery Lando | ||
| Niagara | Guillaume Lambert | ||
| Midnight at the Paradise | Vanessa Matsui | ||
| Polaris | Kirsten Carthew | ||
| Rodeo (Rodéo) | Joëlle Desjardins Paquette | ||
| Soft-Spoken Weepy Cult Child | Irina Lord | ||
| Craft awards: • Jorge Martinez Colorado (Coyote), Best Performance • Joëlle Desjardins Paquette (Rodeo), Best Director • Guillaume Lambert (Niagara), Best Screenplay • David Schuurman (Polaris), Best Cinematography • Arthur Tarnowski (The 12 Tasks of Imelda), Best Editing |
[39] | ||
| 2023 | Atikamekw Suns (Soleils Atikamekw) | Chloé Leriche | [41] |
| The Boy in the Woods | Rebecca Snow | [42] | |
| The Burning Season | Sean Garrity | ||
| Finality of Dusk | Madison Thomas | ||
| Hailey Rose | Sandi Somers | ||
| My Mother's Men (Les hommes de ma mère) | Anik Jean | ||
| The Nature of Love (Simple comme Sylvain) | Monia Chokri | ||
| She Talks to Strangers | Bruce Sweeney | ||
| Tell Me Why These Things Are So Beautiful (Dis-moi pourquoi ces choses sont si belles) | Lyne Charlebois | ||
| This Time | Robert Vaughn | ||
| With Love and a Major Organ | Kim Albright | ||
| Zoe.mp4 | Jeremy Lutter | ||
| Craft awards: • Ensemble cast of Atikamekw Suns, Best Performance • Chloé Leriche (Atikamekw Suns), Best Direction • Jonas Chernick and Diana Frances (The Burning Season), Best Screenplay • André Turpin (The Nature of Love), Best Cinematography • Robert Swartz (The Boy in the Woods), Best Editing |
[41] | ||
References edit
- ^ Katherine Monk, "Whistler film festival set to soar". Vancouver Sun, December 3, 2004.
- ^ Katherine Monk, "Whistler film fest to present award". Vancouver Sun, July 9, 2004.
- ^ Alexandra Gill, "Whistler film festival launches Borsos award". The Globe and Mail, December 4, 2004.
- ^ "Film fest feast proves there's more to life than VIFF". WestEnder, December 9, 2004.
- ^ Michael D. Reid, "Filmmakers make tracks to Whistler". Montreal Gazette, November 21, 2004.
- ^ Alexandra Gill, "Documentary takes feature award at Whistler". The Globe and Mail, December 5, 2005.
- ^ Nicole Fitzgerald, "Borsos Award contenders announced". Pique Newsmagazine, November 11, 2005.
- ^ a b Fiona Hughes, "Happy People tops Whistler Fest awards". Vancouver Courier, December 6, 2006.
- ^ "Six Canadian films competing for big prize at Whistler film fest". Vancouver Sun, November 9, 2006.
- ^ a b Yvonne Zacharias, "Lafleur takes top prize at Whistler; Continental, A Film Without Guns judged to be best new Canadian feature". Vancouver Sun, December 3, 2007.
- ^ Glen Schaefer, "Whistler Film Festival draws fans, artists, deal-makers". The Province, November 1, 2007.
- ^ a b Fred Lee, "Whistler fest shines on Canadian films; Justice gala supports first responders". National Post, December 13, 2008.
- ^ "Sutherland oversees Whistler prize judging". The Province, November 5, 2008.
- ^ a b Marke Andrews, "Quebec director Sophie Deraspe wrote, directed and shot Borsos winner". Vancouver Sun, December 7, 2009.
- ^ "Flesh-toned movie vies for Borsos prize". The Province, November 3, 2009.
- ^ a b Graeme McRanor, "It's a wrap for 10th anniversary of Whistler Film Festival; Highlights included a chat with filmmakers Monte Hellman, Bruce McDonald and Atom Egoyan and a new home for the film fest". Vancouver Sun, December 6, 2010.
- ^ "WFF Announces Films in Borsos Competition and Inaugural New Voices International Feature Competition". Vimooz, November 7, 2010.
- ^ a b Maggie Langrick, "Winnipeg filmmaker's Keyhole named best Canadian feature". Vancouver Sun, December 5, 2011.
- ^ Stephen Smysnuik, "Borsos Competition celebrates Canada's finest". Pique Newsmagazine, November 30, 2011.
- ^ a b Glen Schaefer, "Teen angst film takes top award". The Province, December 3, 2012.
- ^ Etan Vlessing, "Kate Melville’s ‘Picture Day’ Wins Best Canadian Feature at Whistler Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter, December 2, 2012.
- ^ a b Etan Vlessing, "The Husband prevails in Whistler at the Borsos". Playback, December 9, 2013.
- ^ Etan Vlessing, "Uvanga, Louis Cyr added to Whistler’s Borsos competition". Playback, October 15, 2013.
- ^ a b Etan Vlessing, "Whistler: 'Felix and Meira' Makes Clean Sweep of Borsos Competition". The Hollywood Reporter, December 7, 2014.
- ^ Jeremy Singer, "Whistler Film Festival Announces ‘Borsos Competition’ Finalists". Entertainment Tonight Canada, October 14, 2014. Archived October 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Etan Vlessing, "Rossif Sutherland's 'River' Wins Big at Whistler Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter, December 12, 2015.
- ^ Susan Gittins, "WFF: Whistler Film Festival Borsos Awards & Closing Gala Screening of Okanagan-Filmed NUMB on December 6th". Hollywood North Buzz, November 28, 2015.
- ^ a b Jordan Pinto, "Before the Streets wins big in Whistler". Playback, December 5, 2016.
- ^ Regan Reid, "Whistler Film Festival unveils 2016 lineup". Playback, November 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Brandon Barrett, "Two-way tie for WFF's coveted Borsos Award". Pique Newsmagazine, December 6, 2017.
- ^ Clare Ogilvie, "Borsos Competition honours Canadian filmmaking talent at WFF". Pique Newsmagazine, November 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Adrian Mack, "Québécois film A Colony sweeps Whistler Film Fest awards". The Georgia Straight, December 3, 2018.
- ^ a b Adrian Mack, "Antigone sweeps as Whistler film festival wraps". The Georgia Straight, December 11, 2019.
- ^ Victor Stiff, "Whistler Film Festival Announces 2019 Line-up". That Shelf, November 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Lauren Malyk, "Little Orphans wins Best Canadian Feature at WFF". Playback, December 21, 2020.
- ^ Alyssa Noel, "Whistler Festival Film unveils 2020 lineup". Pique Newsmagazine, November 5, 2020.
- ^ a b Charlie Smith, "Cinema of Sleep wins Borsos award for best Canadian feature at Whistler Film Festival". The Georgia Straight, December 20, 2021.
- ^ Brandon Barrett, "Whistler Film Festival announces full lineup for hybrid 2021 event". Pique Newsmagazine, November 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Pat Mullen, "River, Coyote Top Whistler Film Festival Awards Winners". Point of View, December 4, 2022.
- ^ Alyssa Noel, "Whistler Film Festival announces film lineup". Pique Newsmagazine, November 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Taimur Sikander Mirza, "Atikamekw Suns wins best Canadian feature at WFF". Playback, December 5, 2023.
- ^ Taimur Sikander Mirza, "500 Days in the Wild to world premiere at Whistler". Playback, November 1, 2023.