2023: Milestones, Movers and Shakers
Meghan J. Ward and Jane Marshall in the Maligne River Valley. | Photo: Nat Gillis.
A new year dawns, encouraging us to take a deep breath and reflect on the past 12 months. For Wildflowers, 2023 has been a momentous year of major milestones. Early in the year, we secured a backcountry camping reservation that was nearly impossible to book, yet critical to the film as we envisioned it. We then filmed three central experiences over the following months: an interview with Mary Schäffer Warren’s biographer Janice Sanford Beck, our main expedition into the Maligne River Valley, and master interviews with key cast members to convey the broader adventure. We not only wrapped Principal Photography (meaning all of the footage we hoped to capture is ‘in the can’ 🙌🏼) but also launched a crowdfunding campaign essential to finishing the film.
It’s a natural moment to pause and reflect on the hurdles we’ve overcome — from scheduling conflicts and crew changes in pre-production, our Director’s torn ACL and the challenges of navigating a decommissioned trail in post-production, to the serious feat of funding and finishing a documentary film.
🫶🏼 Our biggest takeaway from 2023 is that…
…everything we accomplished and learned would not have been possible without the support of our family, friends, and community.
When Jasper National Park camping reservations opened, we had 6 friends get up early and jump on an early morning Zoom call for a coordinated “booking extravaganza.” When it was time to crew up, four incredible women dedicated their talent, energy, and time to our project.
Crew: Meghan J. Ward, Nat Gillis, Anandi Brownstein, Trixie Pacis, Jane Marshall.
A separate support crew also took on the task of stashing two canoes at the mouth of the Maligne River so that our expedition crew could mirror Mary Schäffer’s journey and experience. They humphed barrels with provisions to camp and helped our Director link up with the rest of the team before hiking out on foot.
Support Crew: Sasha Galitzki, Bruce Wilson, Luke Wilson. (Not Pictured: Raven the Doberman.)
We had several sponsors come onboard with the hotel accommodation, airport transportation, and canoes to make this expedition possible. More sponsors came onboard to provide the perks comprising our crowdfunding campaign. We were also featured on two incredible podcasts, Wildflowers & Whisky and Northern Latitudes.
Canoe: Pure Outdoors Jasper. | Photo: Nat Gillis.
Most recently, when we launched an Indiegogo campaign seeking your help to bring this project over the finish line, 120+ of you showed your support.
You are the movers and shakers that made the seeds of this story take root and blossom this year. Humbled and full of gratitude, we begin 2024 with a heartfelt thank you to each and every person who believed in Wildflowers and helped us along this wild and beautiful journey.
One of our biggest learnings as filmmakers is the power of surrounding yourself with the right partner, crew, support team, sponsors, and community. For us, this doesn’t necessarily mean the best or the most experienced, but the most aligned. As it turns out, this deep-rooted alignment is the ‘secret sauce’ to creating magical experiences that stay with you forever.
If you backed our campaign, find your name on our website here!
✨ Here’s what you can expect in 2024! ✨
Our Indiegogo campaign is live until January 17.
We’re thrilled to have reached 67% of our $25,000 CAD goal with 120+ backers — and we can officially approach our dream editor about beginning post-production.
We will continue striving to reach 100% of our goal over the next two weeks so that we can bring our full vision to life with a colourist, graphic artist, and original music… all creative elements that can transform a good film into an outstanding one.
Help us by sharing our campaign directly with someone it might resonate with.
Once the Indiegogo campaign wraps up, we’ll get straight to work on all things post-production with a goal of completing the film and releasing it by the end of this year.
If you missed it, catch our teaser below!
We’ll keep you posted throughout this next chapter and cannot wait to eventually share the finished film. Wishing you a Happy Wildly Wonderful New Year! ✨
