It's not every day a major motion picture will be filming in Saskatchewan, helping to draw more attention to the prairie cinema scene.
The movie, "Die Alone", is being produced by Regina-based Mind's Eye Entertainment, and is the story of a future where society has ended after an illness wipes out mankind.
The film is unique not only because of its filming in the Land of Living Skies but also because of the big names it will feature. Veterans like Carrie-Anne Moss from The Matrix, and Frank Grillo from Captain America and Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard.
Devan Oman, the founding father of Dead Prairies Productions, is perhaps Swift Current's foremost film production expert. For him, the news of a major filming project like this is fantastic.
"I'm hoping to see more people come out to act," Oman said. "It could bring up a lot of people that are shy, that might want to do it. Maybe they're not interested in music or sports, so more opportunities for acting or makeup or any of that kind of stuff is cool to have."
Oman hopes that with the bigger lens focusing on Saskatchewan, it will lead to bigger and better projects domestically. He himself has had success in his projects, being a self-starting and sustaining pioneer of Saskatchewan horror.
"I usually just take it out of my own pocket," said Oman. "They'd have to go through with grants, I imagine, and they have big production companies behind them."
This film, if it is a major success, could draw in more parties looking to sponsor Saskatchewan-based film. This would benefit local production camps like Dead Prairies Productions, granting them wider access to equipment and supplies through an expanded budget.
"I feel Saskatchewan can offer a lot of great locations," offered Oman. "We have a lot of abandoned areas. We had a filming in an abandoned hospital for our films. So, there are a lot of cool opportunities in Saskatchewan.