Attendees of the Whistler Film Festival’s (WFF) opening night were expecting to watch The Last Showgirl, but before the film started, they received a different kind of show.
During opening remarks Dec. 4 at the Rainbow Theatre, three protesters connected to Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Off Screen took the stage, two of them topless, holding a banner protesting RBC’s sponsorship of the festival. According to attendees and one of the protesters, they proceeded to talk about concerns around RBC’s involvement in fossil fuel expansion, violation of Indigenous land rights, funding of weapons manufacturing and co-opting filmmakers’ work.
Ever Andra Vuxtafarkash, (given name Casey Hatherly), was one of the three activists who often uses her body to draw attention to causes. She spoke with Pique after the protest, and said their goal wasn’t to disrupt the film.
“We got ourselves all dolled up for The Last Showgirl’s premiere. We covered our areolas, so we are not exposing anyone. We had slogans written on our bodies about what RBC has been getting away with and their atrocities against our planet,” she said. “We did not disrupt anybody's film. We were not there to disrupt the arts. We were there to disrupt CEOs.”
They were onstage for about 15 minutes and called on WFF to stop receiving funding from RBC.
Organizers asked them to leave, and eventually they dispersed when the Whistler RCMP escorted them off-stage.
Cpl. Katrina Boehmer, Whistler RCMP media relations officer, said in an email no further action was required by police as the trio was cooperative.
Angela Heck, executive director for WFF, said she would have appreciated if demonstrators reached out about their concerns around RBC’s sponsorship before protesting on opening night.
“They have the right to protest, and a film festival is a place where you have those conversations," Heck said. "We're here to spark conversations, but it does need to be, from my perspective, a deliberate dialog. So, the form that [the protest] took, they made an impact, but it's also an impact that is really disproportionate on us as a non-profit charity."
RBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in response to previous protests from RBC Off Screen, RBC spokesperson Stephanie Bannan said more action is needed on climate change and the company welcomes the chance to discuss the issues with Indigenous groups and the film community.
“When it comes to climate change, we strongly believe that more action and at a faster pace is needed to address it. We are actively engaging with our clients and partners to identify opportunities to do more in delivering on shared objectives,” Bannan told the Canadian Press in 2023.
“We are also working to engage with Indigenous communities in collectively advancing reconciliation. We appreciate the concern for our climate expressed by members of the film community and would welcome the chance for dialogue.”
WFF has 118 films showing, which range from comedies to social justice documentaries, offering diverse perspectives with intentional opportunities for dialogue. Despite creating forums for discourse, arts and culture events have been the focus of various protest actions in recent years, from the Giller Prize to Toronto International Film Festival and The Junos.
The Junos protest also included a topless revolt by Vuxtafarkash. She said she chooses to expose herself when protesting for clicks, de-escalation and empowerment.
“People are far more likely to click on something that says topless protester opposed to environmental activists," Vuxtafarkash said. "Another reason is that in my experience in conflict issues, people are very disarmed by bare breasts… I really do think that we all have the power to stand up. You don't have to bear your breasts to have that power. But I feel very empowered when I use my body."
Alison Taylor attended the screening. Before the show started, someone handed her a card with details about RBC, which she didn’t think much of at the time.
“The essential message they were trying to get across was that they were not happy with RBC being a sponsor of the film fest … and then people in the audience started kind of shouting at them, ‘get off stage,’” Taylor said.
From Taylor’s perspective, the demonstration had no impact on her evening, but she thinks the stir certainly got people talking.
“Protests are part of democratic society. And in some ways, they got their message across, because people are talking about it now.”
