By Cat LeBlanc
1. How did your collaboration with Glen Gould begin, and what drew you to help bring his first feature to the screen?
Hank: Glen and I first connected when he was acting in Charlie Zone. During that time, he shared an idea for a story with me. I told him he should write it. What impressed me was that Glen had a story he genuinely wanted to tell, and it came from a place of personal experience and cultural understanding. He was a first-time writer with a vision, and I felt it was worth investing in that potential. I took him under my wing, and we began what would become more than ten years of development. My role was to help him develop the screenplay, bring in the right people to assist along the way and, eventually, get him to the point where he could direct his first feature. I believed in Glen, and I believed this was an important story that deserved to be told.
2. How did the cast come together? Was there a particular audition or conversation when you knew you’d found the right people?
Hank: Casting was an important part of getting the film right. We needed actors who could understand the characters and bring a certain honesty to their performances. Because there are a limited number of indigenous actors in Nova Scotia, Glen reached out to Actors who fit. It was equally important that we surrounded him with people who could support his vision and contribute their own experience. We weren’t simply looking for recognizable faces. We wanted the right people for the roles—performers who could make the relationships believable and give the story its emotional weight.
3. The film brings emerging talent together with established actors. What did that mix bring to the performances and the atmosphere on set?
Hank: I think that mix brought a great deal to the production. Established actors like Grace Dove and Brandon Oakes were involved, and due to financial restraints Glen had to take on the role of Artie, because we couldn’t afford to bring the BC Actor he wanted. And I’m glad that he did because Glen received the outstanding Actor (David Reardan) award at the Atlantic International Film Festival. This is the second time he won this award. The first time was for Charlie Zone. Doug Pettigrew as production manager, made the film budget work. The emerging performers like Zeegwon Shilling and Sydney Francis, added a freshness and natural quality that you can’t teach. For Glen, having experienced actors around him was valuable. Jeffrey’s Turn gave him the opportunity to learn, collaborate, and grow as a director while still maintaining control of his vision. I believe everyone benefited from that combination, and it helped create a supportive environment on set.
4. What details of community life in the story were essential for the story to get right—even if an audience unfamiliar with the place might barely notice them?
Hank: Authenticity was extremely important to us. Glen is Mi’kmaq and lives in Membertou on Unama’ki, Cape Breton. This is a story coming from within the community, not someone looking in from the outside and trying to interpret that experience. The family relationships, the sense of community, the everyday interactions and the way people relate to one another all contribute to making the story believable. Some of those details might go unnoticed by an audience unfamiliar with the community, but they’re very important to the people who recognize them. As a Mi’kmaq/Acadian who did not grow up in community, I wanted to respect that experience and make sure the film reflected it honestly.
5. What are the team’s connections to New Brunswick, and did those connections play a part in bringing the film to life?
Hank: We’re fortunate in Atlantic Canada to have a filmmaking community that crosses provincial boundaries. There are talented actors, technicians, producers and creative people throughout Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the other Atlantic provinces. Those relationships are important, particularly when you’re making an independent film with limited resources. This marks the first high-budget film for Nova Scotia Producer Richard MacQueen who grew up in New Brunswick and still has ties to the Saint John area. Marty Williams lived in New Brunswick for a number of years when he was a program director at Fundy Cable community channel. He got to know and work with many members of the film community during his time here. These regional connections helped bring people together who shared an interest in making the film work. I think one of the strengths of Atlantic Canadian filmmaking is that people understand the importance of supporting one another and creating opportunities for stories from this region.
6. What’s a small moment in the finished film that means a great deal to you, and why?
Hank: For me, it is thrilling to see the film with an audience on screen. There are moments in the film where you can recognize the story he first brought to me all those years ago. I remember when it was just an idea and a first-time writer trying to find his way through a screenplay. Now he’s a feature writer and director with a finished film. That’s a pretty special feeling for a writer, director, actor, producer. It’s not just about getting a film completed; it’s about watching someone realize an ambition that took more than a decade to achieve.
7. What was the hardest part of bringing this film to the screen, and what helped you get through it?
Hank: Financing, without question, was the biggest challenge. Independent filmmaking is difficult under the best circumstances, and when you’re developing a first feature with a first-time writer and director, it requires patience and commitment. Through Stone Cold Productions, I personally supported the development, paid Glen’s writing fees and brought in script editors to help strengthen the screenplay. There were rewrites, delays and periods when it wasn’t clear how we would get to the finish line. Eventually, we secured support through the Indigenous Screen Office, which allowed us to move forward. The writer, Director and producers, including me, Richard MacQueen Glen Gould and Marty Williams, made significant personal financial commitments to getting this film made. We all put our fees back into the production because we believed in the project. At the end of the day, it came down to commitment. We had spent too many years getting this far to walk away from it.
8. Was there a day on set that captures the experience of making this film—a day you still find yourself talking about?
Hank: For me, it was watching Glen step into the role of director for the first time. I had known him as an actor, worked with him as a developing writer. With the help of Script Doctor & Writer, Joe Leclair, Glen was able to bring all of that work together in script worthy of filming. There is a tremendous difference between having a story in your head and being the person responsible for translating it onto the screen. I pleased about how far Glen came and what it meant for him to finally be directing his own feature. That was a milestone, not just for Glen, but for all of us who had been part of the journey. I'm proud of Glen and everyone who made the dream happen.
9. Was there a scene that became something quite different once the actors were together—a moment you couldn’t have planned on the page?
Hank: That’s one of the interesting things about filmmaking. You can spend years developing a screenplay, but once the actors get together, they bring their own interpretations, personalities and experiences to the material. Sometimes a performance gives a scene a completely different emotional quality than you originally imagined. That’s also where a director has to be open to the creative process. Glen had to learn when to stay with what was written and when to allow the performances to take a scene somewhere unexpected. Those moments are part of what makes filmmaking such a collaborative experience.
10. How did Glen Gould and Joe LeClair work together on the screenplay, and what did each of them bring to the story?
Hank: Glen was the originator of the story and the first-time writer. He brought the personal connection, the cultural perspective and the characters he wanted the audience to meet. Joe LeClair came in to assist with the screenplay and help develop and refine the material. That kind of collaboration is particularly important when you’re working with a first-time screenwriter. Glen had the story he wanted to tell, while Joe helped bring additional writing experience and perspective to the process. My concern throughout was that we never lost Glen’s voice or the authenticity of what he originally wanted to say. It was important that this remained Glen’s story.
11. What did the regional cast bring to the film that went beyond the words on the page?
Hank: because this is mostly an indigenous film, and the main characters were all Indigenous, they brought authenticity, familiarity and a real sense of place. Atlantic Canada has an incredible pool of talent, but lacks the Indigenous Cast and Crew Needed to make a truly indigenous film.( But we are correcting that) I think we’re sometimes guilty of overlooking what’s right here in our own backyard. Having regional performers involved brought an understanding of the people, the communities and the environment that you simply can’t create through dialogue alone. They understood the nuances of the region and brought that into their performances. For me, that’s one of the great strengths of making films here. We’re not trying to imitate somewhere else. We’re telling our own stories, with our own people and our own voices.
