Long-lost film by mystery filmmaker shows 1936 'slice of life' from Victoria Beach

White-clad cottagers, breezy beachgoers, stoicsailors, a playfulgymnast and a majestic dog are the stars of an 83-year-oldsilent film showing Manitoba'sVictoria Beach that has now been rediscovered not once, but twice.

"We're seeing a bit of a slice of life from 1936 of people who would have gone up to Victoria Beach at the time," Winnipeg's Justin Gulenchyn told Information Radiohost Nadia Kidwai.

Gulenchyn works atthe Winnipeg film studioCentric Productions, and if it wasn't for his antique-loving dadtaking a tour of hisworkplace, the film may very well still be collecting dust.

About 15 years ago, whenGulenchyn was a teenager, hisdad,Daniel Gulenchyn, bought a box of random treasuresat a Transcona estate sale for about $20.

Atthe bottom, he discoveredtwo mysterious film cans.

But thosefilm cans sat unwatched in Daniel Gulenchyn's dresseruntil 2018, when he went for a tour of the film studio where his son worked.

"He noticed we had8-mmprojectors, and he said, 'Hey, can we watch those films finally?'" Gulenchyn said.

The rest is, quite literally, history.

On one film reel,the father and son witnessed14 minutes of Manitoba summer history gold. The film depictswhat appears to be a family on vacation in the cottage community, 100 kilometres north of Winnipegon Lake Winnipeg's eastern shore.

On the other reel rare footage of a royal visit to Winnipeg from 1939.

The person behind the camera is still a mystery, but as a filmmaker himself, Gulenchyncouldn't help but appreciate the fact it's more than an amateur home video.

"It's incredible," Gulenchynsaid.

"It appears to be an actualnarrative film compiled by the person who shot it."

Gulenchyn hasput the film on YouTube, and it will be making itsbig-screen debut at the Victoria Beach Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 3 to 4.

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