From production to plotline, the quality of films presented at the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival’s famed Filmmakers Showdown just took a lion’s leap forward.

Despite having only 72 hours to put together a three-to-five minute piece of filmmaking, the crowd consensus was that all of the nine separate films chosen as finalists would have been winners in previous years.

“Every one of them were capable of walking away with ‘best of show,’ said Jules Older, director of Ski Press LIVE. “The quality of the films – and of the filmmakers competing in the event – really raised the bar.”

From BLUE BALLOON CAFÉ, a surrealistic cinematic take on coffee-shop culture, to FAVORITE SON, a Leslie Anthony-produced singalong about Whistler’s favorite skiing son (with the chorus, ‘Rob Boyd is God’), the evening featured a wide-ranging take on everything from BC peculiarities to our planet’s environmental crisis.

WHISTLER HOMELESS rapped about being down-and-out in a ski town while SCRUB BRUSH traced the contest’s prerequisite prop from its ethyl origins to its malignant impact on our ecosystem’s future.

Bums Off Seats

But it was THE STAFF: A SKI BUM MUSICAL that danced away with the top spot. On-snow chorus lines, lyrics such as, “Fuck Yeah, I’m a local,” as well as, “Ski to Work, Work to Ski,” as well as a saucy peek at employee housing had the 2,000+ crowd jumping out of their seats to cheer.

“Thanks to Whistler, and to Telus for putting such an event together,” said Jonny Fleet as he collected a $15,000 prize package including a check and a schwag bag of camera gear. “It’s amazing what you can do in 72 hours.”

Check out the Ski Press Live team’s video of the event right here.

And special props to Feet Banks, the evening’s MC. Banks was funny, entertaining and spot-on as a presenter, keeping the crowd roused right from the moment he walked to center stage wearing just a pair of high tops and his underwear.

“Have you ever had the dream about public speaking?” he joked, and the evening was off and running from there.