WSSF 72 HOUR FILMMAKER SHOWDOWN RECAP

The World Ski & Snowboard Festival (WSSF) is officially underway in Whistler, B.C., and last night, Would You Rather, produced by Two Dontas One Proctor, won a cash prize of $5,000 by taking first place at the 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown presented and produced by the Whistler Film Festival. The Buttler, produced by Kyle Killeen, claimed the People’s Choice Award as voted by the attendees at the showdown.

Two Dontas One Proctor Productions. Photo by Oisin McHugh

Would You Rather produced by Two Dontas One Proctor Productions received a roaring round of applause as the trio won first place in front of a sold-out crowd at WSSF. These three Whistler friends have a passion for filmmaking and being funny. Their backgrounds vary in film and movie making—but they are united by a good joke.

The Buttler produced by Kyle Killeen won People’s Choice, as voted on by the attendees. Kyle Killeen is arguably Whistler’s second best stand-up comic, and is no stranger to the 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown, having won the People’s Choice Award at the 2016 event.

The 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown, presented and produced by the Whistler Film Festival, was a competition that had teams shoot, edit, and produce a three-to-five-minute short film in just 72 hours within 100 kilometres of Whistler on any recording device of their choosing. New for 2023, fans of the World Ski & Snowboard Festival on social media were asked to provide dialogue to be included in the film, rather than a prop. The winning dialogue that was selected for the first filming window was “They built a halfpipe” and for the second filming window “You can’t park there mate,” both references well known to Whistler culture. The films were judged on grassroot grit, originality, imagination and storytelling by a panel of previous winners and industry experts.

The 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown was the first of the three multimedia events to kick off the World Ski & Snowboard Festival. On Wednesday, April 12th, The Sea to Sky Photo Challenge, produced by Holly Fraser, will showcase portfolios from some of the most talented photographers from the Sea to Sky region. Tickets are going fast, but still available at wssf.com.

On Thursday, April 13th, Intersection, produced in collaboration with the Manboys, will wrap the multimedia events. Five crews of artistic snow sport visionaries were invited to push their limits and create, shoot, edit, and produce a visual love story to mountain culture in just 12 days. This is a highly anticipated sold-out event with cash prizes of $10,000, $5,000, and $3,000 up for grabs.

In addition to these three multimedia events, the World Ski & Snowboard Festival also has a diverse lineup of musical acts, and sporting events including The Saudan Couloir Race Extreme, presented by Helly Hansen, and The Slush Cup, presented by Corona Tropical, taking place this weekend, on April 15th & 16th respectively.

Born out of a love for all that is mountain culture, the World Ski & Snowboard Festival has been the ultimate après of the winter season since 1996. During this annual celebration of snow sports, music, arts, and culture, we will showcase Whistler’s reputation as a mecca for mountain culture.

WSSF gratefully acknowledges the financial support of Creative BC and the Province of BC and is proudly supported by the Resort Municipality of Whistler through the Resort Municipality Initiative; Tourism Whistler; Helly Hansen; Corona Tropical; Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler; Forecast Ski Magazine; King Snow Magazine; Mountain FM; Scandinave Spa Whistler; and Gibbons Whistler. To stay up to date, visit wssf.com.