By Jeff Kubik
On September 6, the Uptown Stage and Screen will host a screening of a film that is uniquely Calgarian. While the production values may remind the audience that the movie was made in a time before Spielberg discovered the joys of CG, there are still a few thrills for Calgary natives. After all, it’s not every day you get to see the Science Theatres in a movie.
Amid a dizzying series of flashbacks and foreshadowing, Storm tells the story of a pair of friends whose innocent wilderness excursion turns deadly when they stumble across a gang of thieves looking for buried treasure. Against the backdrop of Bragg Creek and the University of Calgary, the story unfolds with more camp than a Kananaskis RV lot. But that’s precisely what made it worth seeing.
Storm was made at a time when Calgary films were virtually nonexistent. It’s predecessor, the short film Sequence, was one of the first films produced with the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers.
As far as baby pictures go, the CSIF has an interesting one in Storm. Its story is more than an amalgam of Deliverance and Gotcha! (a film the cover makes reference to that I, personally, have never heard of), it is the story of the beginning of Calgary’s role in filmmaking.
Storm will screen at the Uptown Stage and Screen on Sept. 6. Regular admission is $6 with a $3 rate for students, seniors and CSIF members.
Cast and crew will be available after the screening to answer questions.