Thank you to all of the filmmakers who submitted films to our inaugural Fishing BC Film Festival.
Congratulations to the winners and a big thank you to our prize sponsors.
Winning Film
Submitted by Geoff Heith
I was invited to come film at Spatsizi Wilderness Lodge in the amazing Spatsizi wilderness park. I have never been to a place like this in BC, it’s literally 2 million acres of protected, untouched wildness.
You arrive in Smithers and from there you take a 1.5hr float plane ride out to Laslui Lake where the Fishing Lodge is located. Each morning you’re assigned a spot where you’re going to fish for the day within the park or just outside it.
You hop in a float plane each morning to a new location surrounding the lodge, be it a lake or river system.
Due to the nature of the fishing (float planes) all the gear had to be weighed along with the guests before we got into the planes which made taking only the essentials the only possible route for filming. It also meant that there was no going back if you forgot something because the plane would drop you off then leave till the pick up at the end of the day. It really made for some careful planning and checking and rechecking each night when I was going over gear for the next day.
In all my years filming fishing and wilderness films I’ve never been to a place like Spatsizi. Not only is the scenery like nothing I’ve ever seen, the fishing is unbelievable. In one river system we were filming for about 30 minutes and literally every cast there was a fish on or a take at a fly. At one point we just cut off the hooks and just watched as cast after cast the fish would come up and take our flies.
It was truly remarkable and I’ll never forget this place.
Second Place Film
Submitted by Josh Blasman
British Columbia is home to the most premiere fishing destinations in the world. With this comes a strong fishing culture and many different opinions on fish management. When I heard about the Fishing BC film contest, and I saw the guidelines, I wanted to tell Emi’s story.
This is a glimpse into the work and life of Emiliano Di Cicco, as he shares his passion for fishing and describes his part in the Strategic Salmon Health Initiative funded by DFO, PSF, and Genome BC. I followed him from the lab to the river for a morning of fly fishing for summer steelhead. The fishing was tough with low water levels due to lack of rain. It was a cloudy day for the most part and there was a quick window of time when the sun popped out and perfectly backlit Emiliano while he was casting. After a long time of patiently waiting, I knew that was the moment and I didn’t let it pass me by. It worked out great, and the intent was to use this sort of backlit, “flary” visuals with music to help us feel his passion for fishing, and to contrast his life in the lab. Him and others on their team they are providing invaluable service to our fisheries, with the hope that one day our grandchildren can enjoy these fisheries as we do.
Third Place Film
Submitted by Ross Bodenmann
Josh is a woodsman of old world values living in the modern day. Through generations on BC’s coast his family has passed down to him timeless lessons, many derived from living life clearly connected to nature. The concept for this short film was to depict a day in the life of Josh amidst the rugged beauty of his home while passing on some of the values that have given him and his family meaning.
Filming or fishing in the winter months has specific challenges – in order to put the camera or cast a line in the right spot requires some seasonally specific resourcefulness. On this shoot cameras needed to be wrapped in order to stay warm enough to keep the batteries from failing and blocks of frozen river employed as ice bridges to get the correct angle for certain shots. With the unique challenges the winter brings it also offers unique beauty. The snow made for gorgeous diffused lighting and the frozen banks of the Oyster River contrasted beautifully with the interior shots warmed by Josh’s wood stove and warmly lit home.
Fourth Place Film
Submitted by Bouva Media
Storytelling is a priority for Bouva Media, both through our projects with clients and through videos like Born to Fish. For us, our passion of cinematography and the outdoors are a natural pairing and although we have filmed fishing related content in the past, we have always wanted to showcase the sport’s diversity and put it together in one film.
By combining four stories into a short segment under 3 minutes, we hoped to capture the sportsmanship and passion that many fishermen in British Columbia encompass. By dissecting the process of these four stories, we were able to portray the similarities of each activity, from the early preparation to landing the fish. We tied these stories together with a bold script that was inspired by Earnest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.
In order to best capture the dedication of each fisherman, we planned for non-ideal conditions and dark, moody weather. Unbelievably, the weather was bright over the course of six days filming, which meant that more effort was put into post-production, including cutting, colouring, and sound than we had initially planned.
Overall, our team had a great time working on this project and we thank everyone who helped to make this film possible.
Honourable Mention:
Film Submitted by Teddy Cosco
In this Short Short Film, we tried to capture the accessibility and beauty of BC fishing through the eyes of the average city-dweller, from office tower to remote lakeside. We shot the entire journey over the course of one long weekend, trekking >25kms into Mamquam Lake and back, filming our experience with a Sony a7iii adeptly operated by my sister-in-law, Lindsay Derer (who also edited the film). My wife, Maddie Cosco, coordinated the logistics for the trip and took stills for our @castandiron account, while our friend Kevin Klassen helped haul gear, provide input into shot selection, and kept our spirits up in the pissing rain. Our concept and approach to shooting was simple: capturing on film what we would typically do on a weekend hike-in alpine fishing trip.
One moment that didn’t make it into the cut, but provided some comic relief, occurred immediately after I started fishing. Once we’d reached Mamquam Lake, the skies opened up with a downpour lasting several hours. Safe in my waterproof jacket, my waders and every piece of warm clothing I’d brought, I was out of the rain and actually quite comfortable. That is, until I tried to walk across the top of a floating log, at which point I slipped and fell into the lake, completely submerging my waders and filling them up with water! As a result, in all of the fishing footage in the video I’m completely soaked through!
Honourable Mention:
Film Submitted by Ryan Bachinski and Pavel Francev