'I'm thrilled': Yellowknife artist opens film festival with feature-length debut

Most people know Jennifer Walden as a talented visual artist, but the Yellowknife painter can now add feature filmmaker to her resume.

Walden's first, full-length feature filmElijah and the Rock Creatureopened the Yellowknife International Film Festival on Wednesday night and will have its second, sold-out screening on Sunday at the Capitol Theatre.

Although Walden already has three short films under her belt, she said directing a larger project was "a whole different beast."

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"It was a little intimidating at first, but once we got going it was a lot of fun," she said.

"Everything is magnified. There's so much more to think about, there's so many more logistics, there's so many more people involved. But at the root of it, you're still just trying to tell an amazing story and be creative."

Drawing inspiration from family

Elijah and the Rock Creature follows the story of a young boy who gets lost in Wood Buffalo National Park while on a camping trip to see the stars with his mother. He discovers a new friend from "beyond the stars" along the way, and the two team up to help each other find their respective ways home.

Walden says she drewinspiration for the film from her own life.

"I spend a tremendous amount of time out on the land with my two kids, and a lot of the time I'm out there taking photos and enjoying the scenery, and I'll look over and my kids are sort of living an entirely different reality, on some big adventure," she said.

"And I think: 'Whatever they're doing looks a heck of a lot more fun than what I'm doing. I want to try to write that story and see it through their eyes.'"

Crew of local talent

The film also has deep roots in the Northwest Territories with nearly all of the cast and crew hailing from the territory.

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A Yellowknife special effects makeup team, cinematographers and lighting crew also worked on the project, Walden said.

"It's incredible," she said, adding she hopes the film industry in the North continues to flourish and become sustainable.

After the support the local community gave Walden and her crew while they put the film together financially, helping with childcare, dropping off meals and stocking Walden's fridge while she was on set being able to premiere the film at home is a big deal for her.

"I can't express it enough how important that is to me," Walden said. "You want to show as a thank you to all those people here's what we did with all of your help. So I'm so thrilled to do this here."

With files from John Last and Lawrence Nayally