The 2025 Sun Peaks Film Festival was a resounding success, selling out completely and leaving many disappointed at the ticket office. Qualifying for a B.C. Fairs, Festivals and Events Grant and benefiting from generous corporate sponsorships, the budget was over 10 times that of the inaugural festival six years ago.
Now held at the Sun Peaks Centre which can accommodate 175 people in the viewing room, the three-day event is organized by ArtZone Sun Peaks.
“I’m so pleased with this year’s film festival. It could not have gone smoother,” said ArtZone President, Marj Knive. “Our volunteers worked so hard and nailed it at every stage.”
At the 2019 festival in the Hearthstone Lodge, there was an audience capacity of just 90 and Knive had to stretch a $950 budget, most of which went to securing the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival films which form the core elements.
“We had a pull-down screen on which no one but the front row could read the subtitles, a borrowed projector, and I lost sleep over whether anyone would come,” Knive recalled.
Morph to 2025, and there were long waitlists for tickets for all three nights.
The continued growth of the festival is in part due to the Locals Filmmakers’ Contest which Knive said is always a hit with audiences.
“I was touched by the kindness, supportiveness and caring reaction the audience gave the filmmakers. It spoke volumes to me about the type of community and who we are in Sun Peaks.”
After having five films entered for the contest last year, there were only two submissions as the Jan. 2 deadline loomed. To try to encourage more filmmakers, Knive made efforts to get the wider message out, emphasizing that content could be diverse and that contestants could be from a broader area. Her marketing was rewarded with a last minute entry by Oceann Elsie from Kamloops, who won with her film Dancing With Addiction.
Two of the judges were returnees from 2024, including Kelly Brown, who was also the 2023 Local Filmmaker Contest winner and Emily Staresina. The third judge was Terri Hadwin, Film Commissioner from the Thompson-Nicola Film Commission, which was a new sponsor.
The award was presented by Brown who congratulated all the entrants on their hard work.
“Making a movie takes countless hours: the time creating the story, shooting the footage and editing it down are just a fraction of the work,” he said. “Each of the movie makers want to show themselves and their subject in the best light possible, and the effort involved is very time consuming, but well worth it in the end.”
2025 Sun Peaks Film Festival winning films
Oceann Elsie made her film focusing on addiction recovery when she attended the Empowered Filmmaker Masterclass 2023, which has trained hundreds of Indigenous filmmakers since 2017, many of whom have gone on to become professionals in the industry.
“We all had five days to make a film and, at first, I was trying to do an interview-type film like all the others, but after two days I just couldn’t find anyone to interview,” Elsie said. “So I realized it had to be me since I have gone through this.”
She then spent three days making the movie, filming in beautiful scenery around Kamloops including the Peterson Creek Waterfall, using ethereal music and a poetic and poignant narration.
“I’m sure everyone knows someone going through this,” she said. “I want to help other people out there with the same problems, so if just one person gets helped by this then it is worth it.”
Receiving her award, a pair of skis donated by McSporties and $500 in prize money, she was overwhelmed.
“I can’t believe I’ve gone from addiction to being an award-winning filmmaker.”
Her film previously won the prize for best short documentary and best cinematography at the Okanagan Screen Awards in March 2024.
The Fans’ Favourite Award, calculated by audience votes during an intermission, went to Girls in Gils, a tribute to the camaraderie and fellowship of the Polar Bears Ladies Ski Group. The film, produced and edited by Dawn Matte, featured the colourful skiwear designs of Lynne Harrison, who donated Alchemy of Ride garments for the raffle prizes on the Friday and Saturday nights of the festival.
“It was thrilling to see Girls in Gils with strong, determined, supportive women wearing my gear and to see so many people in the audience sporting Alchemy of Ride,” Harrison shared. “Humbling to witness, and grateful to see that my messages of ‘gear for your groovy’ and ‘have fun’ have been adopted by so many ski fans.”
For the first time, the participants in the Locals’ Filmmakers Contest have been asked permission for content from their films to be featured on Sun Peaks Tourism’s social media network. This is an opportunity to get their hard work rewarded with increased exposure while showcasing their authentic views of the Sun Peaks lifestyle, community, and ski terrain.
Among the films which will particularly fit this purpose is Only in Sun Peaks, made by Harold Richins for the 2025 contest. Richins chronicled the annual Ski Down in a Gown event, splicing footage and interviews from the last two years of the March extravaganza which celebrates the beginning of spring.
“I’m not in this contest to try to win it, I want to get this out there, show the community spirit and creativity of these women,” Richins said.
Established by Vera Steinberger, Ski Down in a Gown is attracting an increasing number of women to dress up in glamorous gowns and accessories for a synchronized ski down from the Sundance chair, followed by a celebratory après event.
“I had no idea that Harold was putting together the Only in Sun Peaks film,” Steinberger said. “It was wonderful to see the fabulous women of Sun Peaks be featured like that. Harold’s film beautifully captured the joy everyone felt participating in the Ski Down. It makes me giggle when I hear women planning their gowns for this year.”
For those inspired to make their own movie for the next Annual Locals Filmmakers’ Contest in January 2026, ArtZone welcomes enquiries for information and will be gauging interest in workshops to help with the filming process.
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