By Spencer Sterritt

2 Nanaimo short documentaries win $50K in funding

Sep 14, 2018 | 3:37 PM

NANAIMO — Dreams have become reality and two short documentaries by Nanaimo filmmakers are now fully funded.

Both the Five Acres film, about an urban farm tucked away in Nanaimo’s south end, and Coextinction, about the dangers faced by southern resident killer whales, received $50,000 in funding each in the Storyhive grant competition.

They and 28 other documentaries were selected from a pool of nearly 300 entries for the grant.

Five Acres filmmaker Paul Manly said it’s a great chance to put together a film which has swirled in his head for many years.

“I always thought it was an interesting story, not only the history but the current use of the property,” he told NanaimoNewsNOW. The farm sells produce grown there at markets and is used as a training and awareness tool for Nanaimo Foodshare.

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Manly said he aims to weave “the history, the present and the future” of Five Acre Farm though the 20 minute film.

With some footage already shot, Manly said cameras will start rolling as soon as possible. He and the production is currently looking for people with history of the site who would like to be interviewed for the project.

Coextinction hopes to bring more light to the imminent extinction of the endangered southern resident killer whales, with only 74 whales remaining in the waters off B.C.

“(It) empowers its audience to create a more sustainable future. Its story challenges us to make responsible and informed decisions, and to further understand and protect our interconnected ecosystems,” the Storyhive page for the project says.

The two films have until the end of May, 2019 to wrap filming

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit