Kynan Gordon (left) and Erin Chase have each received $50,000 from Telus Storyhive (Photos provided by Tiffani Lee/NATIONAL Public Relations)

By Justin Goulet

Lights, Camera, Action

Lethbridge filmmakers receive significant funding for new projects

Aug 3, 2019 | 8:16 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Two local filmmakers have each received $50,000.

Lethbridge’s Kynan Gordon and Erin Chase are each recipients of the funding from Telus Storyhive.

Telus Storyhive is a production outfit from Telus that support new and established filmmakers showcase their creativity, with a focus on artists in Alberta and British Columbia.

“It feels incredible. You know, it’s been a whirlwind. I’m still in a bit of a daze, it’s hard to believe that I received it because there were almost 400 recipients and only 15 were chosen from Alberta and 15 from B.C. so the chances of getting it were actually pretty slim,” said Chase.

Her film, called ‘The Vanishing Skyline’, focuses on the disappearance of wooden grain elevators in western Canada, with a spotlight on the Lethbridge area. Chase told Lethbridge News Now that the film will study the move from rural, smaller farming to larger, more industrialized operators.

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It will also cover the evolution of grain elevators and how they’ve impacted the community’s economy and shaped the area’s history.

“I was born and raised in southern Alberta, so the grain elevators have always meant something to me,” she said, adding that her parents grew up in Claresholm and one of her grandparents worked in the farming industry.

“It’s definitely a part of my heritage. I think it’s sad to see the wooden grain elevators disappearing, particularly because they’re such a major part of our local economy. I felt it was a story that needed to be told to pay homage to the local landmarks.”

Chase said that she’ll be taking part in a Telus Storyhive workshop in Edmonton next month before commencing full production work on her documentary.

Recipients will have to meet specific deadlines to submit cuts of their films to Telus Storyhive, before an eventual release on various Telus platforms at the end of 2020.

She said her hope is that viewers take away an appreciation for wood grain elevators.

“I hope they look at the old wooden grain elevators with a different perspective and I hope they really examine what drives our local economy and appreciate that the elevators and wheat and the farmers really impact how our economy thrives,” she said.

In addition to working on this film, Chase is also a novelist, having written ‘Behind Palace Walls’, a historical fiction novel set in ancient Egypt. She’s working on a sequel, ‘The King’s Court’ as well as a stand-alone urban fiction titled ‘I Was Always There’.

She said that she was inspired to submit her idea to Telus Storyhive after working with fellow recipient Kynan Gordon on the film ‘He Shall Pay’.

KYNAN GORDON

Kynan Gordon has also been named a recipient of a $50,000 grant from Telus Storyhive.

He’s no stranger to Telus Storyhive. His previous film, ‘He Shall Pay’ earned Gordon (along with his friend Arjan Gill of Gill Productions) a grant of $20,000.

On the $50,000 for his latest project, title ‘The Nikkei Way’, Gordon said he was ecstatic to receive the news.

“Right when we learned (about the grant), we knew this was going to be a lot of work and this is going to be a long journey, but it was great to hear and we are excited to create this project and it’s all due to Telus Storyhive,” he told Lethbridge News Now.

Gordon said ‘The Nikkei Way’ is about Japanese Canadians in southern Alberta.

“‘Nikkei’ is the actual Japanese word for Japanese Canadian. This film talks about the history of those people and its unique history that even people in southern Alberta don’t know about and their impact on the people of Lethbridge, Alberta and its community.”

“I was raised in a Japanese family. Growing up you hear all the stories given to us by our elders and the community. I’ve been very involved with the community itself. I thought I wanted to really show the world how unique this is and create something very unique and beautiful – a great project that emphasizes all the things I’ve learned hear in southern Alberta and about the Japanese Canadians.”

Gordon said he wants viewers of the film to take away “the emotion that comes with a film like this.”

“It will show the hardship that it was living in southern Alberta. Also, (I want viewers) to come away with a better knowledge of their community – what creates and what influences this community and the history that goes behind it.”

Like Chase, Gordon will take part in the Telus Storyhive workshop next month before production begins on ‘The Nikkei Way’. The film is due for release at the end of next year.

For more on Telus Storyhive, visit www.storyhive.com.

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