The Whistler Film Festival (WFF) has two talent programs for established and aspiring Canadian creatives launching simultaneously at Squamish’s Capilano University (CapU) campus this summer.
The 2026 Screenwriters Lab and the 2026 Producers Lab programs will be hosted for a second year in-person at CapU from Aug. 7 to 10, giving up to six creatives the opportunity to write their own feature-length “market-ready” script and pitch, with access to both individual and group mentorship from “key industry experts.”
“(Participants get) to hone their craft and skill in terms of networking, because that’s so much of what this business is,” WFF’s marketing and communications manager Kirsten Andrews said, adding that CapU also provides physical facilities not currently available at the Whistler office, with a “beautiful backdrop.”
Speaking of the screenwriters lab specifically, Andrews explained that participants, who can be from all levels and backgrounds, submit a completed screenplay as a prerequisite to the course. Expert mentors then give constructive feedback about the participants’ capacity to reach the screen, discussing the potential interest of funders for example, and the openness of the participants themselves in being able to engage with their mentorship.
“We really were spoiled for riches with this year’s submissions … the best of the best make it,” Andrews said.
The Squamish Chief spoke with 2026 Screenwriters Lab participant Alex Vance, who is Métis, about her writing journey and her inspiration for joining the program. She has already worked on assisting and writing for short films, one for which she collaborated with Hudson Williams, and has had a comedy sketch featured in New Zealand’s Maoriland film festival.
What follows is a version of that conversation edited for length and clarity.
The Squamish Chief: How did your creative journey begin and how did it evolve?
Alex Vance: I did a creative writing program at the University of Victoria (UVic) then started working on film sets, and worked my way up to second assistant director (AD).
In my spare time I was making short films, music videos back then, and then when the pandemic hit, I wasn’t really allocating what I thought was enough time to develop my craft. So I decided I would stop my AD journey and pursue assistant jobs. I was an assistant on Turner and Hooch, and Resident Alien for a season, and then on a couple of feature films, assisting producers or directors or writers, just learning as much as I could. And then I decided to go back and take some more schooling. I did the University of California: Los Angeles (UCLA) professional screenwriting program, and I ended up getting into the Pacific Screenwriting Program in 2024.
I got my agent this year as a result of making good connections and doing good work that way.
Q: How, if at all, has your Métis background influenced you?
A:My family has a lot of Métis people. I’m like the multicultural poster child for Canada, where my mom is part Caribbean and Lithuanian, and on my grandfather’s side all my ancestors come from the Red River.
My grandfather actually hid his identity for most of his life, but my family has been reconnecting, and I’ve been taking bigger strides to reconnect. It can be daunting to reconnect because you feel like you might not be accepted, especially when applying for Indigenous grants and stuff.
Last year I did the WFF Market Preparation Mentorship program for a feature film. I didn’t get the money, but I got the money from the Indigenous Screen Office. There’s a lot of help out there, but there’s a lot of people who aren’t connected or aren’t even Indigenous at all, so I’m very mindful of everything I include in my storytelling. I have it from my lived experience, being a mixed person, and having that dual identity of not quite knowing what I am.
Making movies is like storytelling, and I definitely want to use my writing and storytelling to dive deeper into the culture of all the aspects of my heritage, not just my Métis side.
Q: How does it feel to be writing now, as opposed to making movies, and what is your script for the 2026 Screenwriters Lab program about?
A:I mean, I’ve been writing for a long time, it’s just inevitably cathartic, and the more I do it, the more I learn about myself and my view on the world.
This specific project I used to get into the lab (program) is inspired by a trip my mom and I took to celebrate my university grad, and then what transpired from it. These characters aren’t me and my mom, but they’re definitely pieces of us.
Q: What are you hoping to take away from your participation in the WFF’s lab program?
A:I already applied to the Telefilm Talent to Watch program—applicants must be alumnus of a WFF talent program in the last five years—for a micro-budget feature program. Essentially, I want to make my directorial debut in my first feature. So, whatever I can do to get it ready and gain interest to receive funding to make it happen.
Q: Finally, how are you feeling about attending the WFF itself, and being part of the experience as an aspirational filmmaker?
A:You know, it’s amazing to be able to go and not have those financial barriers (WFF talent program participants receive a complimentary industry pass with early access to hotel partner discounts.) I feel when you’re part of these talent programs, especially for Whistler, they really elevate the people in them. A lot of people will want to meet you, and having access to those meetings is really important for your project.
Following in-person delivery of the 2026 Screenwriters Lab program at CapU in August, participants will continue script and pitch development through to November.
In November, participants will learn virtually, and engage in an immersive program consisting of practical workshops with a business-focused model, in preparation to pitch their scripts at the WWF + Content Summit.
Folks can find more details about the WFF and various talent programs, including an Indigenous filmmaker fellowship, on the WFF website.
The full lists of participants for this year’s Screenwriter and Producer Lab programs are also available online.
The Whistler Film Festival will run from Dec. 2 – 6 this year.
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Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief’s Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter.
This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.
