Mark Wolfe is a producer and director based in Creston, BC.
He and his partner Kerry McArthur premiered their first feature-length film, The Orchard (theorchard-movie.com), in October 2022 (now in distribution) and in 2023, wrapped photography on their second feature-length project, Exophoria (exphoria.ca). The two of them co-founded the Creston Valley Film Society (crestonvalleyfilmsociety.com, formerly the Kootenay Film Society) , and helped conceive and launch the 7th Siding International Festival of Film that is heading into its 6th season in 2024.
Mark took the time to answer some questions which gather insight and feedback from screen-based industry workers in the Kootenays.
Interview by Karen Kornelson (Peak to Moon Creative).
Check out some of the production stills from The Orchard.
Why produce/shoot in the Kootenays:
- Varied terrain — everyone talks about lakes and mountains but they forget that the Columbian basin has ranching, farming and vibrant urban centres outside of Nelson. The Creston Valley, in fact, has it ALL.
- Lower-costs — from accommodations, to fresh food, to easy access and often free locations and permitting.
- Stunning vistas, period – check our feature film trailer for The Orchard, or our Canada Shorts honourable mention skateboarding film Wheels, both on Vimeo. Speaks for itself, and you don’t have to be flying drone or on mountain peaks to capture it.
My favourite parts of shooting in Kootenays?
- Great local talent — from actors to technicians to musicians. A filmmaker’s jackpot.
- Amazing community support — where practically everyone is simply happy to help out, whether it’s shooting a scene in a local business, accessing someone’s property on an extended basis, getting out the word in the community that help is needed.
- Everything is an hour away or less from most urban centres in the Kootenays, but especially the Creston Valley.
Why should producers consider the Kootenays as a setting for film and television production?
- Varied terrain, from ranching to lake country to extreme high country activity environments, to unique rural and urban settings — usually all within an hour’s drive away or less.
- Lower cost — for almost everything, from accommodations for cast and crew to permissioning/licensing locations, plus the food is usually locally sourced and infinitely better that chain-bought.
- Overall stable weather and stunning vistas — just watch The Orchard, shot entirely in the Creston Valley.
What do I love most about the film sector in the Kootenays?
The fact that the people here will bend over backward to help you out — with technical challenges, allowing you to shoot on their property or in their business establishments, or just to connect you with others who can help. This is especially true when it comes to music. For The Orchard, we were able to include a lot of locally produced music because the artists were delighted to be involved and more than happy with our contractual arrangements.
