By Michelle Forbes

Everywhere in the world, stories are waiting to be told. Each little corner of the globe is rich in stories, and Telus Storyhive is encouraging people to uncover, discover, and create stories to turn into movies.

A total of 280 aspiring filmmakers submitted story ideas to the Telus Storyhive Web Series Competition, and from these, 30 projects were chosen from Alberta and B.C. to receive $10,000 each to create a 10-minute pilot for their comedy, drama, or documentary. The projects are competing for one of two $50,000 grand prizes, along with training and mentorship, to complete five to six episodes for a web series to be featured online and on Telus Optik TV.

Ryan Mennie, of Lethbridge, Alberta, used his passion for history to create one of the 15 Alberta projects in the competition, ‘Western Steele,’ based on the life and adventures of John George ‘Kootenai’ Brown, an integral character in the formation of Waterton Lakes National Park.

Battling 100 km/h winds in Southern Alberta, and 40 cm of snow overnight in B.C., the elements challenged Mennie and his crew, but they rose to the challenge. Shooting the film on location at the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village in Pincher Creek, and Fort Steele Heritage Town, near Cranbrook, the story is what Mennie describes as “the Canadian version of ‘Deadwood’ without the cussing.”

Mennie’s connection to the Kootenays runs deeper than the film, as he is the Music Director for Summit 107 FM out of Cranbrook, the sister station to Lethbridge’s 94.1 CJOC FM, where he works as afternoon drive announcer. With a film career that began as a background extra on Legends of the Fall in 1993 in Alberta, Mennie furthered his career by creating original programming for local television stations in Drumheller, Nanaimo and Campbell River.

With a story to be told, and a grant received, Mennie went on the hunt for a crew.

“I was very fortunate to have discovered the Lethbridge Independent Film Society and several of their members ended up as part of the crew,” he said. With filming and editing done, Mennie is working to promote the film and gain as much of the public vote as possible. Online voting for projects will be available from February 5-9, where the public can vote each day for up to five different projects. The winners, decided by a combination of public votes and jury deliberation, will be announced the week of February 19.

Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Doug Clovechok, who is B.C.’s Official Opposition Critic for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, says the film industry in B.C. is an economic driver for the province, bringing in over $2.4 billion in 2016. The Mountain Between Us was filmed in 2016 in the Purcell and Rocky Mountains around Invermere.

Clovechok believes that film and the arts are a great way to promote the Kootenays as an ideal location to shoot new films. When businesses, groups, and government officials come together to promote local talent and tourist attractions, it is a great opportunity for tourism. Projects, such as Mennie’s Western Steele, help to promote locations used in film to new potential producers, helping the economy and tourism industry.

There will be four public screenings of Western Steele, one on Sunday, February 4 in Calgary at The Plaza Theatre, featured along with other pilots, and three screenings on Monday, February 5 at 7 p.m., one in Lethbridge at Victory Church, one at The Kimberley City Bakery in Kimberley, and one at The Garneau Theatre in Edmonton.

Mennie will be attending the Lethbridge screening and answering questions after the showing. For those not able to attend a screening, or for a chance to watch all 30 projects and vote for your favourite, the pilots will be available on the Storyhive website starting February 5

For more information on Western Steele.

Photo credits Western Steele and Eric Forbes

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