Megan Folden

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Regina, Saskatchewan
May 6, 2023

Six Saskatchewan Producers Greenlit for Market Accelerator Program

Saskatchewan’s official film commission, Creative Saskatchewan, has partnered with one of Canada’s largest film festivals in Whistler, BC to build an intensive, multi-phased project development and business mentorship program for independent Saskatchewan producers developing projects with strong market potential. Today, the industry celebrates the successful six selected from the shortlist.

“When we opened applications for the program, there was strong interest from both up-and-coming and established local producers,” says Remi Dufour, Director of Film Finance and Economic Reporting, Creative Saskatchewan. “We were elated to see the level of talent put forward. We are very proud of the participants who are about to embark on a journey with unparalleled access to high-level industry experts from across Canada, including senior producers, distributors, broadcasters, financiers, and key decision-makers.”

Over the course of eight months, the below producers will work closely with key media industry advisors and mentors in individual, group, and market-oriented development sessions. The producers will expand on their creative and business skills, and receive project-specific feedback to strengthen their ability to position their project for investment in the lead-up to the Whistler Film Festival (WFF).

Chris Miller (Regina, SK) – RAT RIVER (Feature thriller)
Based on a true story, “Rat River” follows the desperate manhunt of a police-killer across the inhospitable desolation of Northwest Territories during the winter of 1932.

Kaitlyn Van De Woestyne (Regina, SK) – ON THE EDGE (Documentary)
In the face of rising sea levels, melting permafrost, and powerful storms, the Inuvialuit community of Tuktoyaktuk is disappearing into the ocean. Deva-Lynn Pokiak, an Inuk mother, works alongside a team of Southern researchers to document and map the erosion, racing to find solutions and preserve what hasn’t already been lost.

Moniquea Marion (Saskatoon, SK) – FUEL UP (Unscripted)
Fuel Up is an original factual travel series that showcases travel in a whole new light. Host, Moniquea Marion, travels by motorcycle to take viewers on an incredible journey of food, adventure, culture, and the most sought after motorcycle routes around the world.

Natasha Bigeau (Regina, SK) – SHESTRONG (Documentary)
Once strangers separated by thousands of miles, breast cancer survivors Brandy and Laura forge an online connection through a number of parallels; their diagnosis, family situations, and athletic pursuits. Now integral supports to one another, they have set their sights on the Ironman Triathlon finish line.

Shawn Cuthand (Saskatoon, SK) – PRIVATE GIG (Feature horror)
In the open prairie, no one can hear you scream.

Style Dayne Stenberg (Regina, SK) – STAFFED (Comedy Series)
A dramatic fall from grace brings Jacob, a big shot Ottawa political staffer, to the small idyllic town of Konlin Lake, SK, where he is thrown into the tumultuous and absurd world of municipal politics while navigating the antics of local stakeholders.

The mentors and facilitators for the Saskatchewan Market Accelerator are WFF Producer-in-Residence & Program Facilitator Brendon Sawatzky (MB) and WFF Talent Programs Manager, Shelly Quade (MB).

Leading up to the WFF and Content Summit, the producers will participate in a pitching workshop and may apply to participate in the Power Pitch Competition and pitch their project to some of the world’s top sales agents for motion pictures and compete for a prize package worth over $36,000.

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About Creative Saskatchewan

Creative Saskatchewan is the economic development agency for Saskatchewan’s creative industries. Creative Saskatchewan unlocks the potential of the creative industries and fuels the economic engine of homegrown talent, converting creativity into cashflow. The agency’s investments propel creative entrepreneurs as they create, perform, innovate, and export in their pursuit of commercial success.

About Whistler Film Festival

The Whistler Film Festival Society is a charitable, cultural organization dedicated to furthering the art and business of film by providing programs that focus on the discovery, development, and promotion of new talent culminating in the highly respected Whistler Film Festival and Content Summit each December. In all its programs, WFF strives for gender parity, inclusivity, and diversity. The Whistler Film Festival Society is situated on the shared unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Lil̓wat7úl (Lil’wat) Nations.

For more information or to provide commentary, please contact:

Brendon Sawatzky, Producer in Residence, Whistler Film Festival Society
C: (204) 230-5589 | industry@whistlerfilmfestival.com | whistlerfilmfestival.com

Megan Jane, Manager of Marketing and Communications, Creative Saskatchewan
O: (306) 798-2191 | C: (306) 529-7377 | megan.jane@creativesask.ca | creativesask.ca

Christmas came early to Maple Creek this past weekend as the town was transformed into a holiday-themed movie set for the filming of A Cowboy Christmas!

More than 200 community members served as enthusiastic extras in the Saskatchewan film, donning their Christmas sweaters and decorating the main street to re-create the town’s annual holiday celebration.

Trilight Entertainment are the production company behind A Cowboy Christmas, which received funding support from Creative Saskatchewan’s Feature Film and TV Production Grant program. The western-romance plans to reach international audiences in time for Christmas 2023.

Maple Creek and surrounding area residents were supportive of the project, which bought a flurry of activity to the region. Jessica Watch, a Producer with Trilight Entertainment, comments on the reception from the community; “The people of Maple Creek really came through for us on this production. They went above and beyond in every aspect to make this production happen and run as smoothly as it did. Every person we met wanted to help, and they all rallied together make this production the best it could be! We could have not achieved as much as we did in this short period of time without the help of everyone here in Maple Creek. They welcomed us with open arms and we could not be more grateful for their help and support! ”

By all accounts, the weekend was a tremendous success, and the production team are elated with how the shots turned out. All were in high spirits well into the evening, especially when hot chocolate and hotdogs were given out in thanks.

In a post online, Cypress Hills – Grasslands Destination Area exclaims “What a neat experience!” referring to the hundreds of local extra all dressed up for the show, “We got a glimpse of the film world as set designers scrambled to make last minute changes, make-up artists added blush and combed some hair, and the directors yelled out things like CUT and back to 1!”

Michelle McKenzie, the Mayor of Maple Creek, recognized the ripple effects of this sort of exposure provides to her community. “I want to welcome A Cowboy Christmas to the community of Maple Creek and thank them for choosing the friendliest town in Saskatchewan,” says the self-proclaimed ‘Rootin’ Tootin’’ Mayor, “The Production showcases the community of Maple Creek, where we get the impossible done with a smile on our faces and a song in our hearts. We welcome any and all upcoming opportunities to share the warmth and wonder of our area.”

In an interview with Maple Creek News, Shane Putzlocher, Trilight Entertainment Producer, was adamant that the film would take place in his home province. Putzlocher was familiar with the town, and felt it would serve as the perfect backdrop for a movie in need of riding horses, a beautiful main street, and classic ranch architecture. “You have a beautiful Main Street there,” said Putzlocher, “[this] would be perfect for us.”

The production team chose to keep the name Maple Creek in the movie, something that’s not common according to Carmen Drapeau, facilitator for A Cowboy Christmas, “They make up names for [towns],” says Drapeau in an interview with Chat News, “This is actually the community. I think it’s amazing and I think it’s going to be great for tourism.”

“The Cypress Hills region is open for business”, said Doug Steel, Cypress Hills MLA. “It is incredibly exciting to see a production filming around Cypress Hills and we know it will generate a positive economic impact across the community. I am looking forward to watching the finished product with my family and constituents this Christmas”.

The historic Reesor Ranch will also serve as a key location for the production. On their Facebook page, Tourism Saskatchewan notes that “For over 100 years and six generations, the Reesor family at the Historic Reesor Ranch Cypress Hills has been preserving the legacy of ranching in western Canada.” This legacy will be showcased on the big screen later this year, as the primary setting of the film.

Stay tuned for updates!

Mark Wihak is a busy man. An Associate Professor in the Department of Film at the University of Regina, he has split his time between higher education and his filmmaking pursuits for the best part of two decades. Wihak, who received his BFA in Film from the University of Regina, has always been interested in the local film community. Other Wihak-led projects, like 2007’s River and 2010’s I Heart Regina, have a heavy dose of local flavour. When he began production on his most recent film Resting Potential, Wihak turned to the community; not just in terms of cast and crew, but also for funding, receiving production support from SK Arts, the Saskatchewan Filmpool, and the University of Regina. The release and marketing of the project was supported by our Market & Export Development Grant.

In a press release, Wihak says the idea for the project began in 2002, but that putting the funding in place was the key obstacle. “Because I couldn’t secure sufficient financing, for a long-while I put it on the back burner and pursued other projects…But the story was compelling to me, and I thought it might be interesting for an audience, so I always kept circling back.” And circle back he did.

Resting Potential, rather than going the traditional film festival route, is a serialised feature designed for online release. In the promotion for the film, Wihak is quick to point out that this way of working is a response to the changing winds of film marketing.

“I was excited by the creative opportunity Resting Potential offered to work in a new way to tell a long-form story, and to explore different methods to bring that story to audiences… While festivals still have roles to play in bringing new films to audiences, online platforms have freed filmmakers from the traditional gatekeepers of festival programmers, distributors and broadcasters.”

With that new approach, Wihak also brought an entirely Saskatchewanian cast and crew to the proverbial party. The team included actors like lead Kaitlyn Semple, joined by Saskatchewan-based actors Ryland Alexander, Kate Herriot, and Micaele Johnson, with longtime local actors like Mark Claxton (current head of the Saskatchewan Association of Theatre Professionals), Dawn Bird, Alan Bratt, and actor and University of Regina sessional lecturer Cavan Cunningham. The full cast and crew can be found on the film’s website.

Resting Potential focuses on a woman who experiences a fundamental change in her understanding of existence and struggles to find someone who will listen. Wihak says it is “an inquiry into the nature of belief: what do we believe and how do our beliefs shape our actions?” The project was released in nine chapters through November and December of 2022. In total, the film is just over an hour in length—68 minutes, to be exact— and can be viewed in its entirety on a variety of streaming platforms including Vimeo, YouTube, and Facebook.

If you’re looking to get financial support for your feature film, take a look at our guidelines. If you receive the funding then you’ll be following in the footsteps of projects like Summer at Charlotte’s and Shadow of… Both the Feature Film and Television Production Grant and the SaskTel Max Equity Fund are part of a wider assortment of funding programs that include streams dedicated to music video creation and film and television development.

Written by John Loeppky

In a media release posted today by the Government of Saskatchewan, Creative Saskatchewan, Wavelength Entertainment, aand the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), are celebrating the premiere of a new television docuseries Guardians of the North, which was filmed in the province.

Guardians of the North was a recipient of our Feature Film and TV Production Grant, and Creative Saskatchewan committed $276,000 into the production, which is expected to result in approximately $1.3 million of economic outputs back into Saskatchewan.

The show features personnel from the SPSA, Muskoday First Nations Fire Department and Saskatchewan First Nations Emergency Management as they train for and battle wildfires on the ground and from the air during the summer of 2022. The MCCAFE wildfire near Stanley Mission, which burnt more than 12,000 hectares, is featured in the show.

“It was an honour for us to embed with the brave men and women as they worked tirelessly battling fires in extreme conditions with the express goal of protecting the North,” Producer for Guardians of the North Chris Triffo said. “We are grateful to have collaborated with SPSA, SFNEM, Creative Saskatchewan and City TV on this exciting docuseries.”

The room was buzzing at the media event, with attendees including Premier Scott Moe, Hon. Minister Christine Tell, and representatives from Saskatchewan First Nations Emergency Management, Muskoday First Nation leadership, Saskatchewan film industry representatives, and local Members of the Legislative Assembly.

“We’re thrilled to be able to support this project,” Creative Saskatchewan CEO Erin Dean said. “The film industry has an inspiring ability to capture important stories and showcase our incredible landscape to the world through cinematography, and the 200 days of production activity have a positive impact on the local economy while creating jobs.”

“Productions like Guardians of the North are what many hoped to see when our government announced increased investments to grow our film industry last spring,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross said. “This is a Saskatchewan story through and through. Every $1 invested into this project is expected to generate an economic output of $4.65, resulting in a significant and lasting impact on Saskatchewan’s tourism, hospitality and trade industries.”