''Ash'' is a 2019 Canadian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Andrew Huculiak Andrew Huculiak is a Canadians, Canadian musician and film director.Marsha Lederman"Director Andrew Huculiak does not shy away from a filmmaking challenge with Ash" ''The Globe and Mail'', September 30, 2019. His debut feature film ''Violent (film) ...

and starring

Tim Guinee Timothy S. Guinee (born November 18, 1962) is an American stage, television, and feature-film actor. Primarily known for his roles as Tomin in the television series ''Stargate SG-1'' (1997–2007) and railroad entrepreneur Collis Huntington AMC' ...

Chelah Horsdal Chelah Horsdal (born June 19, 1973) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her regular roles in the television series ''Hell on Wheels'', ''When Calls the Heart'', and ''The Man in the High Castle'', recurring roles on ''Stargate SG-1'', '' Lev ...

Eric Keenleyside Eric Keenleyside (born October 11, 1957) is a Canadian actor. Early life Eric was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, grew up in London, Ontario, and spent time in Brisbane, Australia. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (acting) from the Univer ...

, and Cameron Crosby. It is the second film directed by Huculiak and the second feature-length film produced by the Vancouver-based production company Amazing Factory Productions. The film premiered at the 2019

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

and is currently making a festival run internationally.

Premise

Reporting from the frontlines of the Okanagan wildfires, Stan (Tim Guinee) documents uncommon heroism on his blog while hoping for a big break that’ll make him a household name beyond

Peachland Peachland is a district municipality in the Okanagan Valley on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people. Peachland is ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. When he's accused of a disturbing crime that damages his marriage and reputation, however, he must scramble to salvage what's left of his life.

Production

Amazing Factory Productions kept a day-by-day production journal on the film's official website "www.imnotabadperson.com." ''I'm Not A Bad Person'' being the title of the screenplay before the name of the film was changed during production. "Day 1" was considered to be September 14, 2014, while the team's first film, ''

Violent Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened o ...

'' was still being shopped around at film festivals. The team sat around a bonfire discussing a controversial idea for a new film. The film would be loosely based on a true story about a childhood family friend of Huculiak's. It wasn't until June 2016, while the film was still in pre-production, that the team determined that the story they were crafting would be set amongst a violent wildfire in the Canadian wilderness, and so prior to any casting, and without a finished script, Joseph Schweers and Josh Huculiak drove into a wildfire to gather shots for the film. The film was finished in December 2017, and made its world premiere at the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival. It is currently making an international film festival run.

Reception

Film critic Adrian Mack of

Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

said, "When VIFF wraps on October 11, Ash is the film people will be talking about. Andrew Huculiak’s latest is both an astonishing technical feat and, thematically, a potentially explosive act of daring. It’s hard to know which was more dangerous."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, tt5515328, Ash
Official website

Production company website
Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films Films shot in British Columbia Films set in British Columbia Films directed by Andrew Huculiak 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films