Filmmaker seeks crowdsourcing support to complete short film

Fort McMurray filmmaker Kelton Stepanowich is turning to crowdsourcing to raise funds for his passion project, a short film called Gods Acre, one that he plans to enter in international film festivals.

“We’d already raised a good amount of the budget so far, and then oil prices collapsed and people got tight with their budgets,” Stepanowich said. “And crowdsourcing is a great way to let people contribute and say what projects they’d like to see made.”

Crowdsourcing websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo—the one Stepanowich used to launch his crowdsourcing campaign on May 25—allow filmmakers and artists to raise funds from everyday citizens in order to get their artistic projects made—projects that might not otherwise get the green light for mainstream funding. Stepanowich plans to release the film in December and enter it into Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance, and Cannes.

“Gods Acre is a short film about an older Aboriginal man who lives in the bush away from society, living off the old ways,” explained Stepanowich. “This is the land where his ancestors lived, where they died and were buried. Due to climate change though, water levels are rising and are slowly engulfing his land. …This is a story about one small person, but the things that are happening around him are very big. He has a choice—he can leave the only home he’s ever known, or he can adapt and do what he can to live in the old ways.”

Filming for the 15-minute short is scheduled for July and August of this year in Fort Chipewyan and Stepanowich has tapped some unique talent for the film.

Lorne Cardinal, best known for his role as Sergeant Davis Quinton in Corner Gas, will be playing the lead role of Frank, the trapper facing an unknown future.

“This is a departure from the comedic roles he’s known for,” said Stepanowich. “When we sent the project to him, he said he was interested in taking part because he can understand where the character is coming from. His mooshums were trappers, living off the land.”

Stepanowich’s Indiegogo campaign will run through to June 25 to raise the final $25,000 to fund filming and post-production. The money will go towards set design, including the trapper’s cabin, which will slowly be submerged in rising tidal waters, as well as filming in remote Fort Chipewyan, sound and special effects and the soundtrack.

“So many people said, ‘Fort Chip is so far away, shoot in Edmonton, it’s cheaper.’ But Fort Chip just resonated with me,” Stepanowich said. “There’s an old saying—if it was easy everyone would be doing it. We do these things because they’re hard, but I think the rewards for creating it this way will be so much better.”

One of the rewards Stepanowich is looking forward to in Fort Chipewyan is the chance to inspire and educate a new generation of filmmakers. Partnering with the Lake Athabasca Youth Council, the cast and crew will be hosting a youth mentorship program, which will see local youth on set, learning the ropes.

“We’re going to teach kids how to make their own films so they can tell their own stories in their community,” Stepanowich said. “When it comes to Aboriginal culture being portrayed in media, it’s very sentimental, based in the past or focused on trauma. I want to open the door to tell new stories—my Native, you can do it too and you can do it better! … If I can tell this story, I know you have a story in you too.”

Photo Caption: Kelton Stepanowich, director and co-writer of Gods Acre, to be filmed this summer in Fort Chipewyan.