The YVR Screen Scene Podcast Sabrina Furminger

The murder of 14-year-old Reena Virk in 1997 sent shockwaves across Canada. Her murder thrust issues of bullying and teenage violence into the Canadian consciousness. 27 years later, Reena’s story is back in the public consciousness, on both sides of the border this time, thanks to Under the Bridge, a limited series produced by ABC Signature for Hulu and streaming on Disney Plus. Under the Bridge is based on acclaimed author Rebecca Godfrey’s book about Reena’s case. Told through the eyes of Godfrey (portrayed by Riley Keough) and a local police officer played by Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), the series takes us into the hidden world of the young girls accused of the murder, revealing startling truths about bullying and teenagers, family relationships, and racism. Under the Bridge was filmed in British Columbia, which is fitting, because Reena’s is a British Columbia story. In this thoughtful and at times emotional episode, Sabrina speaks with two remarkable British Columbia-based artists involved in the production – acclaimed director Nimisha Mukerji, who directed the fourth episode of the series entitled “Beautiful British Columbia,” and actor Evan Rein, who portrays Officer Don Gardner, a rookie cop on the Saanich police force – about their experiences working on the series and why, nearly 30 years later, it’s important to bear witness to Reena’s story. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Award-winning actress Sara Canning (Remedy, The Vampire Diaries) returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to talk about Sweetland. Based on the book by Michael Crummey and adapted for the screen by Christian Sparkes, who also directed, Sweetland draws its inspiration from Newfoundland’s controversial resettlement program, which has removed hundreds of communities from the map. As the film opens, the government is ready to resettle the far-flung fishing community of Sweetland with a healthy pay-out, but only if the entire community signs up for the move. Retired fisherman Moses Sweetland is one of the last hold-outs, which doesn’t make him popular in town. Sara is Clara, the mother of a very special young boy who has a kinship with Moses but who would benefit from treatment and therapies that aren’t available in Sweetland but are available in St John’s. Sweetland is devastating, stirring, and haunting – and for Sara, a born Newfoundlander and long-time fan of the book, the film is something of a homecoming. On May 17, Sweetland will begin an extended at VIFF Centre in Vancouver. In this special episode featuring one of British Columbia’s – and Newfoundland’s – finest actresses, Sara talks about her journey to and with Sweetland, how place influences story, and the Newfoundland of it all. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

Actress Loretta Walsh (When Calls The Heart) returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to discuss The Lifespan of a Fact, the based-on-real-life play that she’s producing and starring in this month at Studio 16 in Vancouver. The Lifespan of a Fact tells the story of a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent but sinking New York magazine, a talented writer with a transcendent essay about a high stakes event concerning a teenage boy, and a magazine editor-in-chief who needs to balance truth and art with the unsentimental realities of the magazine business. The Lifespan of a Fact is funny but, given how it holds up a mirror to our culture’s current fascination with bending lies into “alternative facts,” it’s also terrifyingly timely. As Emily the editor-in-chief, our dear Loretta shares the stage with longtime collaborator Ben Immanuel and Tal Shulman from So Help Me Todd, under the direction of renowned theatre artist Jennifer Clement. The Lifespan of a Fact runs May 2nd to the 12th at Studio 16, and the May 8 performance will feature a post-show Q & A with the cast, director, and special guests. And that’s not all: Loretta can currently be seen in season 11 of Hallmark Channel’s wildly popular When Calls the Heart, which kicked off its latest season on April 7. In this compelling and at times emotional interview, Loretta talks about The Lifespan of a Fact, how When Calls The Heart’s Florence has changed since season one, acting opposite Hrothgar Mathews, and the ways that theatre can soothe a broken heart. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

In this DOXA Documentary Film Festival double-header, Sabrina Rani Furminger speaks with two filmmakers whose films are featured in the 2024 edition of the popular fest. Up first is Rachel Epstein, the filmmaker behind The Anarchist Lunch. The film is the story of a lunch – or rather, 35 years of lunches enjoyed each week by a group of ardent leftists who congregated in a Vancouver Chinese restaurant to discuss the important topics of the moment. Among them is Rachel’s father, Norman. The Anarchist Lunch follows these revolutionaries over a period of several years, through the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and during the unfolding of resonant global events. As some members struggle with personal health issues, Rachel’s film takes on new layers to explore the meanings of activism, camaraderie, and growing old. Next up (at timecode 26:13) is Cindy Mochizuki, whose film Between Pictures: The Lens of Tamio Wakayama re-introduces viewers to the famed Vancouver photographer and activist who passed away in 2018. Tamio spent several years of his childhood in an internment camp, after being held with thousands of other forcibly displaced Japanese Canadians in cruel and dehumanizing conditions at Hastings Park – and after the internment ended in 1946, Tamio and his family moved to Chatham, Ontario, once the terminus for the Underground Railroad. And that remarkable beginning is only just that: the beginning of Tamio’s remarkable life as a photographer and activist. In these two fascinating conversations, the documentarians discuss legacy, activism, and the joys and challenges of fact-based filmmaking. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Jennifer Spence (Travelers, Continuum) returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to talk about her leading role in The Trades, a new half-hour single-camera comedy series on Crave. Set in a blue-collar community where the high stress of working in a refinery are balanced by the comedic high-wire antics of its plant workers, The Trades centres around Todd (played by Robb Wells, AKA Ricky from The Trailer Park Boys), a pipefitter, and his sister and roommate, Audrey (Moonshine), who follows in her big brother’s footsteps pursuing a career in the trades as a carpenter. Jennifer plays (and shines as) Chelsea, an ambitious young executive from head office who arrives in town, announces she’s the new site manager, and immediately sets about making changes. At its heart, the eight-part comedy series – which is produced by Trailer Park Boys Inc and Kontent Use Productions for Crave – is a love letter to skilled trade workers, written with grit, humour, and heart. In this entertaining and fascinating episode, Jennifer talks The Trades, dick jokes, welding, East Coast vibes versus West Coast vibes, and naughty parade floats. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

When Natasha Burnett and Viv Leacock work together, something special happens. Natasha and Viv play Minnie and Joseph Canfield on When Calls the Heart. The first Black family to feature prominently on When Calls the Heart, the Canfields arrived in Hope Valley a few seasons back and quickly became touchstones for many of the town’s residents. Natasha and Viv are fun to watch, and they look like they’re having fun working together. This fun can be seen in Legend of the Lost Locket, a film that is at once a rom-com and a mystery that spans the centuries. Natasha is Amelia, an antiques dealer from England desperate to complete the quest her late mother started to reunite two halves of a legendary locket. Amelia’s quest takes her to America, to a sleepy town on the eve of its 200th anniversary, and straight into the path of the town’s Sheriff, Marcus, played by Viv. Legend of the Lost Locket is currently streaming on Hallmark Movies Now, and will have its Hallmark Channel premiere on Saturday, April 13. In this fascinating conversation with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Natasha and Viv reflect on their journey to this moment, lost lockets, what to expect for Minnie and Joseph in season 11, what Peter DeLuise said that helped them make sense of the Canfields’ presence in Hope Valley, their shared love of Columbo, and what it is that makes their collaboration work. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA