Actress keeps busy in her own backyard

Page 17

Tina Keeper may appear to be keeping a low profile ever since North of 60 was cancelled last year, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Besides staying very active in the local Winnipeg theatre scene (she's just finished a month-long run performing in a local production), Keeper will soon be seen starring in the new television film, In the Blue Ground: A North of 60 Movie. But the 36-year-old actor isn't limiting herself to just acting roles these day. Soon she'll be making her directorial debut in the world of documentary film-making. Keeper has two documentaries in mind, one on residential schools, and a second film chronicling the journey of women from India and Canada who participated in an interfaith exchange program. Also in the works is co-directing a short dramatic film with a friend of hers.

"I have a double major in theatre and history, and for me, on a personal level, I feel a sense of empowerment by knowing what happened to Native people in Canada. I have a stronger passion in that than any mainstream acting role," she said by telephone.

"I'm now at a time in my life where I want to give something back to my community. I've been so fortunate and I've had so many opportunities, that now, more so than ever before, I'd rather create work for the next generation of actors."

Of course one of those opportunities she alludes to is playing the lead role in the highly successful television series, North of 60. The show lasted six seasons and established the actor as a bonafide star, at least in the Native community. Through syndication deals, the show continues to be watched in more than 60 countries, where the series is especially popular in the Middle East and South America.

Asked whether she thinks the show had naturally run its course when it got cancelled, Keeper feels the series could have continued on. She says many of the characters were never fully developed, and there was room for them to take on lives of their own - in the sense of being able to carry the show. But after five years of shuffling her family back and forth every six months between Calgary (where the series was shot) and her home in Winnipeg, she admits she was ready for a break.

"For me personally, I was ready," she said laughing. "One of the things I think about regarding North of 60 are the chances they took in casting were unbelievable. Casting people who had never done film work before and that was true for not only the young people, but also with us adults.