These far-reaching film festivals helped me fall back in love with Canadian travel

I've been running between festival screenings for about ten years now, but I will never forget my first encounter with a bear a few feet away from me on the snow-covered pavements as I was trudging through five feet of snow to catch yet another screening at the Whistler Film Festival.

There was a brief moment of eye contact before it raced into the forest, and as I headed to my screening, I remembered thinking, "Now that is a moment I'll never forget." It's my version of what I like to call the Canadian Cocaine Bear — a gorgeous black bear running into the snow.

Before the pandemic drove the world to a standstill, I often travelled out of Canada to warmer destinations to fuel my soul with the most breathtaking views and cultural experiences I could find. However, the pandemic challenged me in more ways than one: with travel being restricted, all I could do was create a Pinterest board of travel destinations and get lost in old photo albums. Exploring my unending mess of a closet became the closest thing I had to pandemic adventure.

But as the world started to take back a piece of normalcy post-pandemic, I had the opportunity to travel to different Canadian film festivals to explore the back-to-theatre experience in cities around Canada. My time there allowed me to appreciate what other film festivals in Canada had to offer and opened my eyes to the beauty of various Canadian cities, especially when I had never wanted to travel in winter. I learned to marvel at the gems of nature in our own backyard — all while getting to enjoy one of my favourite things in the world: film festivals and discovering new film communities.

Available Light Film Festival (Whitehorse, Yukon)

Canadian winter has only ever given me chills — and not the horror movie kind (although I do love those too). The idea of going to an even colder destination in Canada in winter was not something that I had ever even considered. I mean, who wants to be outside in negative 20 degrees? So when I was offered the opportunity to attend the Available Light Film Festival in Whitehorse, I flinched momentarily wondering if I could brace the cold — but it was perhaps the best decision I made this winter. 

Nestled between snowy mountain peaks and breathtaking landscapes is the city of Whitehorse. It is located on the traditional territories of two First Nations: the Kwanlin Dün and the Ta'an Kwach'an Council. The Available Light Film Festival is a celebration of Northern, Canadian and international cinema. This festival allowed me to explore local Yukon-produced films that probably wouldn't have been on my radar otherwise.

Of all the films I saw, I loved the Yukon-shot Polaris, which was exactly what the synopsis describes it as: "a crazy action movie set in the far north in the year 2101: think Mad Max on skidoos." I also loved the Yukon documentary Voices Across the Water, which follows two master boat-builders as they practice their art and find a way back to balance and healing. It wasn't just the opportunity to experience local films, but the local community that welcomed us as we sat in on industry pitch meetings and spoke to local filmmakers about the Indigenous communities that resided there. 

When not catching films at the festival, I attempted to catch some feelings with nature. One of the most beautiful moments that still lives in my head rent-free was witnessing the Northern Lights in Whitehorse. It was truly a special experience to stand around the fire beside the cabin waiting for Mother Nature to display her stunning green lights that danced across the sky while thousands of stars shined brightly above.

At the end of the festival, I realized that if I watched these films at home on my laptop, I wouldn't have experienced the stories in the same way. As cheesy as it might sound, there was a certain spark that came with being in the same city and the community when watching these local films that made this a seamless movie-going experience in Whitehorse. 

Whistler Film Festival (Whistler, B.C.)

Whistler is a picturesque postcard setting that instantly reminds you of a Hallmark movie (or a dozen of them). It has long been the go-to destination for those who love skiing and snowboarding. But as someone who has two left feet when it comes to any winter activities, that meant that it was never on my wanderlust list.

But the moment I got off the bus in December, I felt like I was transported to a movie set. The snow-capped mountains were right there, greeting me every morning enroute to the movie screenings. And at night, after the opening night party, I'll never forget simply walking along the streets adorned with stunningly lit Christmas trees. It was truly magical. 

The beauty of the Whistler Film Festival is that moviegoers can attend movies and panels during the day while taking a break at lunch to head up the mountains and ski. At lunch, I soaked in the cultural and culinary offerings. Located not far from Whistler Village is the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre — the first of its kind in Canada, located on the shared, traditional territories of the Squamish Nation and Lil'wat Nation — where I educated myself on the Squamish and Lil'wat cultural histories, traditions and practices. On other days, I sat at one of the many picnic tables in the village taking in the mountain views that were right there while devouring treats from purebread, a family bakery in Whistler that had the most delicious bakery offerings.

One of my most memorable days involved watching actor and filmmaker Jason Priestley introduce his documentary Offside: The Harold Ballard Story, then attending a masterclass in cinematography and a networking reception with local filmmakers and writers, followed by an afternoon on the Blackcomb Gondola to the top of the mountains to enjoy the lush landscapes while having a fine-dining experience on Blackcomb at Christine's Restaurant.

Something I never would have tried otherwise was an experience that was recommended by a few other writers who raved about this place when I heard them discuss the Whistler Film Festival. It was a visit to the Bearfoot Bistro, home to the coldest vodka tasting room in the world at -32 degrees Celsius. Sitting together sampling vodkas and sharing the films we had loved seeing was the perfect way to end the film festival experience. When I do return, that's definitely going to be a tradition I'll carry on.

Blue Mountain Film Festival (Ontario)

I had never been to Blue Mountain before, so a summer trip for the Blue Mountain Film Festival was an ideal opportunity to get to experience another festival not too far from home. Just like Whistler, it was a destination I hadn't been to since I don't ski. 

The festival offered a mix of panels, films and creative forums for moviegoers and film critics. The festival allowed film critics and moviegoers to attend panel discussions and master classes with industry leaders, including a "filmmakers at the top" closing party that took place at the top of the mountain. Another highlight of the festival included a Blue Mountains locations tour that added to the festival experience.

One film at the festival I particularly enjoyed was Slash/Back, the Canadian Inuit sci-fi film directed by Nyla Innuksuk in her feature debut. Innuksuk was also in attendance, and I had the unique opportunity to ask her about her film and the making of it as she stayed behind after the screening. 

My most memorable moment on this trip was a creative forum that involved an afternoon hike with award-winning Canadian filmmaker Patricia Rozema. As we hiked up the steep mountain, we would stop and take in the views while she shared behind-the-scenes film stories that were just fascinating. The scenic view from the top was simply a bonus to the stories.

These film festivals were truly one-of-a-kind experiences. I'd never imagined watching a local film with the community (there's nothing that beats that) and then walking out of the theatre and feeling like you've been transported to the film set on location with the gorgeous backdrop. The screen-to-life translation truly was the gift of the festival experience. 

My desire to go back to theatres, connect with other moviegoers, and explore new destinations in Canada post-pandemic has only been elevated since attending these fests. It connected me to a sense of adventure and showed me the power of getting out of my comfort zone. It even reminded me of what I love so much about film in the first place! 

It's the small joys of that first bear sighting (!), or the beauty of the dancing Northern Lights as it lit the skies in our own backyard, or simply connecting with a local film community — those are the moments that make the sub-zero temperatures worth it. 

Travel expenses to Whitehorse and Whistler were covered by a promotion campaign from Telefilm Canada, which had no editorial involvement in this story.