Yellowknife filmmaker gets major boost to produce local feature film Dark Sky

A Yellowknife artist has won an independent filmmaking prize that could provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in services towards the production of her first feature film.

Jennifer Walden will be producing Dark Sky, a tale about a young boy who gets lost during a camping trip with his family. 

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"He's lost in this sort of remote northern wilderness," said Walden. "It's really about his journey, and his perception of his journey trying to find his way home."

The story will have a hint of fantasy. Along the way the boy meets a mythical beast that accompanies him.

The idea came from her own experience being out on the land, hiking with her children.

"Really, what kind of ignited the whole thing [was] watching my kids," said Walden.

"We'd be on the same hike, and I'd be taking pictures of beautiful picturesque scenery. But they were always on these epic adventures, fighting battles, fighting dragons and jumping cliffs and chasms," she said.

She thought this would be the basis of her film — "to have two people in the exact same spot, experiencing very different realities."

Mentorship and guidance

Walden, who's best known as a painter, produced two short films this year. Her first film Painted Girl aired on CBC's Short Film Faceoff. 

The support for Dark Sky comes from IndieCan20k, an initiative to aid first-time feature filmmakers in Canada. The award will provide in-kind production and post-production services and mentorship opportunities to assist with the making of the film.

The Dark Sky team has to fundraise up to $20,000 on their own as a part of the award deal, "to cover some of those hard cash costs."

Combined, the assistance could have a value in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, Walden also said it's "really exciting" that the program also offers mentorship opportunities.

"That's something you can't put a dollar value on, to have someone really guide you through that process."

'A lot of incredible talent up here'

The film will be shot in the territory, and the cast and crew will be strictly from the North.

Walden said she didn't have any specific actors in mind for her film.

"I want to just put out a mass casting call across the North and see who comes out of the woodwork," she said. "We have a lot of incredible talent up here."

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Walden said her next step is figuring out the best social media fundraising platforms to use.