Nova Scotia-filmed Mennonite mob series, Pure, to launch Monday on CBC
6-episode series, created by Dartmouth writer Michael Amo, was filmed last fall
Dartmouth writer Michael Amo always took interest in his grandparents' culture — Mennonites who made Canada home after the American Revolution.
That sparked the inspiration for him to create Pure, a new six-part dramatic series debuting Monday on CBC.
"I came across stories about the Mennonite mob, like a real criminal organization, that is the same sort of ethnic background of my grandparents," said Amo.
"So I thought that was a great contemporary framework to tell the story about Mennonites."
Modern twist on a historic story
The show focuses on a modern-day Mennonite mob smuggling cocaine through a pipeline from Mexico to Canada.
Ryan Robbins plays Noah Funk, a newly elected Mennonite pastor forced into joining the mob through unfortunate events. He has intentions to gather enough evidence to take the mob down and help clean up his community.
"It's fascinating," said Robbins.
"There's a lot of mystery and a lot of excitement and the stakes are always super, super high. Someone's life is always at stake on this show."
Standing in for Ontario, Texas, Mexico
The series may be filmed in Nova Scotia, but viewers shouldn't expect to see fishing boats and lighthouses.
Nova Scotia stands in for southern Ontario, Texas and Mexico during the first season of Pure.
"With the magic of movie-making we can convince you we're in all these places," said Amo.
For Robbins, a Vancouver native, the production was his first trip to Nova Scotia. The show was filmed in Hants County, Dartmouth and Windsor last fall.
Robbins said the cast and crew are the best he's ever worked with and he thinks the province should provide more financial support for the film and television industry.
Industry needs support
The provincial government ended the film tax credit in 2015, replacing it with a new funding mechanism. Since then the industry has struggled to regain its previous footing.
Nova Scotia has to be extra competitive because we're that much further from Los Angeles.- Michael Amo
"This place deserves to be busy. We had that same issue in B.C., and once the [funding dispute] got fixed, it's arguably the busiest it's ever been," said Robbins.
"I have high hopes in your government that they're going to rectify the situation and get productions back here because this province deserves it. It's amazing."
Amo said to keep the business going in Nova Scotia, it depends on foreign productions coming here with a stable industry and competitive tax credit.
"Nova Scotia has to be extra competitive because we're that much further from Los Angeles."