Movie wraps in Southeast

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This article was published 09/09/2024 (286 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Writer and director Bob Kotyk said everyone involved in the shooting of a short film called The Border at Tolstoi was impressed with the community.

Being shot on a shoestring budget over the Labour Day long weekend, meant they were hoping for some community support. Not long after finishing a Ukrainian feast in the hall in Tolstoi on Tuesday, Kotyk said they got that in spades.

“We felt really supported by the community here,” he said.

The short film is a fictional story told through the eyes of a border guard near Tolstoi. It was shot at a various locations including Emerson, Vita, and Tolstoi.

Help from the community came in the form of extras for the movie as well as food.

In fact, Kotyk said when locals found out they may have to get lunch supplies from Costco they sprang into action.

“They brought lunch to us every day, full of garden-fresh vegetables and wonderful bread and baked goods,” he said. “It became the highlight of the cast and crew’s day that they were coming.”

Kotyk said it was gratifying while shooting to see the unique landscapes of the Southeast really pop on the screen. Sites like a poplar grove and a cemetery in Arbakka looked great on the screen.

But there were also challenges to overcome.

Flight delays gave them a later start than they had intended.

A collision in Winnipeg sent one actor to the hospital where he was under observation for a concussion.

That meant the writer and director had to step into the limelight and take over the role.

“I’m not a natural actor,” Kotyk admitted, but added with support from the crew he felt it went well.

The making of this film began after a 2013 visit Kotyk made to the old Ukrainian block settlement and historic cemetery where his great-grandparents are buried.

And while the shooting is done, there’s still plenty to do.

Over fall and winter Kotyk said the film will be edited, sent for colour correction, sound mixing and the addition of music before screening rough cuts.

It will premiere at a film festival, which Kotyk said will hopefully lead to other festival invitations.

But there’s good news for locals who can’t wait to see their region on film.

“We’ll be coming back and doing a screening when it’s done,” he confirmed.

This won’t be the last time the Southeast will used for a film.

Kotyk said he’s written a feature which he hopes to film here in the next two to five years.

He has no doubt he’ll be able to acquire the right cast and crew for another visit.

“Everyone in the cast and crew enjoyed their time here,” he said.