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“Mildred Moyer feels passionately about her work,” says Chamberlain. “Her work just happens to be killing people. The funny thing is, people can sympathize, they can see themselves in her in certain ways. Her emotions are things that people normally feel, they just happen to be about something very dark.”
The independent film was written and directed by Brandon Rhiness, who grew up in Wetaskiwin but now resides in Edmonton.
“There are lots of people involved and they are all Edmonton based,” says Chamberlain.
Chamberlain is a theatre arts graduate of MacEwan University and a fine arts graduate from the University of Alberta. She has good reason to believe the Alberta film industry is on the verge of a boom.
“Alberta film is making a huge comeback. People are really excited about making films here. I worked on a few films recently in the United States and they’ve heard about the buzz up here. It’s absolutely something that people are interested in.”
While the film is true to its slasher themes with a wide array of murder sequences, Chamberlain says the film appeals for other reasons.
Grotesque 2 is also in the works and filming on the production starts in June 2023.
Campy casting call
Edmonton-based filmmakers and brothers, Devin and Robert Burkosky, are creating a third feature-length film through their production company, Beechmount Entertainment.
The new film titled Heat Score follows in the vein of previous Burkosky projects where criminal activity meets camp.
“It is a story about a washed-up male stripper who lands a job selling illegal narcotics for an Edmonton crime lord,” says Robert. “It will be a wildly-amusing romp with an abundance of sleaze and action.”
It will be a wildly-amusing romp with an abundance of sleaze and action.
Filmmaker Robert Burkosky
The film is currently in its casting phase of development and the brothers put out a general casting call through various social media channels.
“The casting process has been fairly successful,” says Robert. “At the moment we are still in search of our female lead. However, I have a feeling that role will soon be filled due to the large number of applicants.”
As with previous projects, the brothers share the roles of writer, producer and director. And like previous projects, Robert will be playing a major acting role in the film as the main antagonist.
The new film will join the Beechmount lexicon, which includes the 2021 film Private Blue and Loan Shark Massacre from 2018, and Heat Score is unlikely to be their last.
“I’ve been a movie maniac my entire life. Throughout my adolescent years, I spent most of my time watching a lot of low-budget horror and exploitation films, which inspired me to pick up a camera. After years of filming shorts and music videos, my brother Devin and I decided to embark on a career in DIY filmmaking. Since 2018 we have released two full-length feature films and have no plans on ever stopping.”
Check out beechmountentertainment.com for the selection of available films.
EIFF Oscar short
The Edmonton International Film Festival’s 2022 Grand Jury Winner, An Irish Goodbye, has been nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2023 Academy Awards, happening Sunday night.
Created by UK filmmakers Ross White and Tom Berkeley, the dramatic comedy follows a pair of brothers as they deal with their mother’s death. The film also recently won a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) for Best Short Film.
“This is the second time in just three years that we’ve qualified a short that’s made it all the way to Oscars night,” says EIFF artistic director Vincent Brulotte.
The festival’s previous qualifying film, If Anything Happens I Love You, won the 2021 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
Joining An Irish Goodbye as an Oscar contender is the animated short, The Flying Sailor.
Created by Calgary filmmakers Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, the latter born in St. Albert, the film is up for the Best Animated Short Film award. This is the third time the filmmaking team has been nominated.
The film follows a sailor as he is blasted into space by an explosion, recalling his life in a series of flashbacks, and was inspired by the real-life event of a sailor who was blown two kilometres in the air during the Halifax Explosion of 1917, and lived to tell the tale.
If reality television is more your thing, catch Mitchell Wendland, an Edmonton Elks cheerleader and spin instructor, competing in Canada’s Ultimate Challenge.
Canada’s Ultimate Challenge follows Wendland and 23 other contestants as they compete in challenges, which turn “the entire country into a giant obstacle course”. The contestants are divided into teams coached by high-profile Canadian athletes such as Olympic sprinter Donovan Bailey and Olympic speed skater Gilmore Junio.
Wendland, 27, can be found on Team Blue, which is coached by Olympic speed skater and cyclist Clara Hughes. Wendland is playing for a chance to cheer on Team Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
While the series premiered on Feb.16, the show is finally moving into its first rounds of eliminations. You can watch Canada’s Ultimate Challenge on Thursdays on CBC TV and CBC Gem. Check your local listings.
Watch Wendland below in episode two filmed in Hinton, Alberta.
