A group of high school students from Foam Lake and Wadena appear to have a bright future ahead of them in film following success at the Yorkton Film Festival this past weekend.
Luke Halyk, Jacob Farrell and Joel Kereluke, a.k.a. Blister Cinema, debuted their film Laundroman for a small, but appreciative audience Friday morning.
The 27-minute film is the trio’s first foray into drama. Starring Halyk’s grandparents, Alexander and Cecile Halyk, it is a story of a wife finding out her husband is keeping a troubling financial secret.
It remains somewhat amateurish, as is to be expected, but it keeps a pretty good pace and builds suspense well.
I had a couple of minor quibbles that speak more, I believe, to experience, than talent. I felt the premise for the wife finding out about the secret was somewhat weak and a creative decision to never reveal, or even hint at, the motivation of the husband, I felt was not the best choice.
The filmmakers explained after the screening that they felt the choice made for a more powerful ending, which seemed to be appreciated by those in attendance.
All in all, it was a worthy submission to the festival.
In addition to having their film accepted by the festival and nominated for an award, the teens took full advantage of their weekend immersing themselves in seminars and attending all the social events.
At the gala Saturday night, Halyk said they learned an overwhelming amount throughout the festival.
Transit Game, a film from Lebanon, won in the Drama category.
Next year, the three friends intend to attend film school at the University of Regina.
