A movie co-produced in Saskatchewan will be shown at the IMAX in Regina Thursday.
Brotherhood was shot on a First Nation in Ontario in 2017, and as part of Saskatchewan’s Screen Week and Expo, it will be screened for a one-night-only event at 7:00 PM.
Director Richard Bell says it’s a true story about a boys’ summer camp in Ontario back in 1926.
“They set off across the lake in a 30-foot war canoe and they encountered an unexpected summer storm, so they went flying into the water,” Bell said. “The movie is this transformative story about boys becoming men over the course of the evening while they’re all clinging to life to this canoe.”
Bell says he believes he found a “gold mine” with this true story on Canada’s history.
“It’s not quite often that I think we as Canadians see the cool-factor in our own stories,” Bell said. “I was certainly inspired by the heroism and quiet dignity of the boys who tried to survive the course of the night, but also the boys who gave up their spot on the canoe so the younger boys would have a chance at survival.”
Bell says this movie is even more relevant now due to the recent COVID-19 situation.
“These boys faced a natural disaster, and they did it with fellowship and with comradery, and for the most part I think we as Canadians have faced this natural disaster of COVID-19 in a very similar way,” Bell said. “I think that people really show their true colours when faced with an emergency.”
Thursday’s screening will also feature a Q&A period with Bell and Saskatchewan-based producer Anand Ramayya. Tickets and a movie trailer are available online by visiting the Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association website.