Veteran film programmer Stacey Donen has been named the artistic director of the Whistler Film Festival (WFF).

He will split his time between Vancouver, Whistler and Toronto, where he will continue as director of programming for The Royal, a repertory cinema and post-production facility, and as a programmer for Reel Canada, an educational initiative aimed at connecting Canadian students with Canadian film. He has been a consulting programmer with WFF since 2005.

WFF executive director Shauna Hardy Mishaw described Donen’s role as the “creative lens” of the festival. “Stacey is truly passionate about film and we are delighted to have him lead our programming team. He has built strong relationships with filmmakers, distributors and audiences during his ten-year career as a professional programmer.”

Donen said: “I very much look forward to working with the Festival team as we bring the best of Canadian and International films to the enthusiastic audiences of this festival.”

His career includes stints in production and as a radio presenter. He assumes his duties June 1. The ninth annual WFF runs December 3 - 6.

Topics