Genre-bending thriller set in N.S. haunting filmgoers in theatres nationwide

CITYnews halifax / By Steve Gow

It has been a big month for Nova Scotia’s film industry as two locally-shot hit movies play in theatres across Canada.

While Andy Hines’ Little Loraine has been grabbing most of the headlines, Sk+te’kmujue’katik (At the Place of Ghosts) has quietly been gaining much praise from critics and moviegoers alike.

Written and directed by Mi’kmaw filmmaker Bretten Hannam, the Nova Scotia-set movie opened in theatres last Friday and will expand to 15 cinemas stretching from Sydney to Victoria, B.C. this Friday.

A genre-bending, dreamlike drama that follows two adult Indigenous siblings as they take a journey to discover why spirits connected to past childhood trauma are haunting them, the movie also challenges audiences using narrative and time-shifting techniques that interweave Mi’kmaw culture and the colonial history of the East Coast.

“I think pretty much everyone knows what a three-act structure is or a beginning, middle and end,” explains Hannam about the film’s distinct structure.

“So doing something like this is definitely different but different is a risk because it can be jarring (and some people) don’t get back on course so it was a bit trying to anticipate that and ease them into the bath water.”

In addition to its original storyline, the movie is also earning acclaim from critics for its gorgeous cinematography, which was helped generously by filming the production in a lush forested area not far from Dartmouth.

“Halifax is amazing because you can basically drive for 30 or 40 minutes and you can find places like that,” says Hannam of the haunting scenery. “You are in the middle of the woods, you are surrounded by dense trees and its sort of this beautiful experience.”

Now playing in Halifax at Park Lane Cinemas, Sk+te’kmujue’katik (At the Place of Ghosts) is currently competing against another local movie for box office receipts. However, Hannam says they support the ongoing success of Little Loraine and the attention the Nova Scotia film industry is finally receiving across the country.

“It’s been a long time coming,” says Hannam. “There’s been so many people that have been building our industry from creative people to people in front and behind the camera to behind the desks at every tier of the industry,” says Hannam. “So I’m not surprised that we’re reaching the point where things are becoming busier and busier, I think now the challenge is making sure we are growing in a good, balanced way.”