A trio of P.E.I. filmmakers are ready to make waves outside of the province with their first feature-length film that takes place in the North Cape area.
Jason Arsenault, Jenna MacMillan, and Adam Perry are the producers of an award-winning script called "A Small Fortune" that’s been officially approved by Telefilm Canada for production.
Telefilm is a corporation that finances and promotes Canadian productions through various funds and programs.
“I’ve written many projects over the years, but this is by far the biggest,” said Perry, a Charlottetown resident. “I personally knew last fall that this film was going to happen when Telefilm Canada said they were interested, but it was only a couple of weeks ago that we executed the contract with them.”
Backing the production is Telefilm, Innovation P.E.I., Newfoundland Film Development Corporation, and Superchannel.
“Our co-producer is Mary Sexton, who recently produced 'Maudie' starring Ethan Hawke and Sally Hawkins,” said Arsenault. “We approached Mary as a partner because of her experience, but also to help us make an Island film, something that could be marketable on a national and international level.”
There’s a lot of business that goes into making a feature film, said Perry.
“It’s a small industry on the Island, so it takes a lot of training, networking, and mentorship. It’s a hard game to play if you’ve never done it before, and it’s been quite a learning process for us.”
“It’s very ingrained into the Acadian culture, specific to that area of P.E.I. It’s definitely an Island movie. The characters are also very grounded and relatable, but that’s what gets them into trouble.”
- Adam Perry
In 2014, Perry set out to write the feature-length script about an Irish moss farmer and his wife.
“The couple lives in a hand-me-down house in need of repairs and is expecting a baby,” he said. “Usually people that are out on horseback raking Irish moss are doing it because they are desperate for money – no one does that dangerous work for fun, it’s a long-dead industry.”
The thriller is about what happens after the Irish moss farmer finds a duffel bag of money in the water.
“Before the money can be spent a body washes ashore and a police investigation begins. Things are about to turn upside down when the bad guys come looking for their lost money,” said Perry.
North Cape’s blustery red shores will set the backdrop, along with other identifiable P.E.I. landmarks.
“It’s very ingrained into the Acadian culture, specific to that area of P.E.I. It’s definitely an Island movie,” he said. “The characters are also very grounded and relatable, but that’s what gets them into trouble.”
Perry acknowledged it will take a year to make the film, as well as figure out the specific date for release.
“My job right now is to write a new draft of the script that we are going to shoot, and then start the hiring team.”
