Students get behind the scenes on Three Feathers film set

A film shoot in Fort Smith has brought in some young talent to help out. The Three Feathers has apprentices on set some of whom are getting school credit to be there, and one of whom has even landed a job on set.

What they're all getting is bragging rights when the film opens.

"I'm going to be proud of it, because I got to help out with it," says 12-year-old Finnlay Rutherford-Simon.

Young people from all over the territory, including Yellowknife, Fort Simpson, and Hay River, and as far away as Edmonton, have helped on the production.

The film's producer says that was part of the plan all along.

"One of our goals when we first imagined this project a few years back was to use this project to build capacity in filmmaking in our community," says Brent Kaulback, who is the former superintendent of the South Slave Divisional Education Council. The school board is largely responsible for the production.

"I think it's an exciting time, and there's lots of people that are viewing this project and others, and hopefully we'll see lots more of these people doing their own productions in the future."

Kaulback says having young people on set has its challenges too especially keeping them busy during the long periods of downtime.

The film is based on a Richard Van Camp graphic novel of the same name. It's about justice in a traditional Indigenous context, set in the modern day. Three young people are found guilty of a break-and-enter and assault, and sentenced to go out on the land to learn traditional skills under the supervision of elders.

It is being shot in English, Bush Cree, South Slavey and Chipewyan, and could be released by next fall.

Jimmy Thomson was involved in production for twodays in 2016 as a drone camera operator.