The YVR Screen Scene Podcast Sabrina Furminger

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

The award-winning documentary feature Union Street chronicles the ongoing effects of racism, displacement, and the cultural erasure of African-Canadians in Vancouver. Before systemic and political mechanisms destroyed Hogan’s Alley – the historic Black neighbourhood located on Union Street – in the 1970s, the area was the home of train porters, speakeasies, juke joints, and a thriving community, and a regular touring stop for iconic musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. The reverberations of this thriving community and its intentional and egregious erasure are still felt – and in the face of adversity, a new generation of Black Vancouverites is working tirelessly to rebuild community and facilitate Black joy.

Union Street elevates and amplifies the voices of Black Vancouverites who have decided to create their own spaces. It examines how community spaces can help people heal from racism-related trauma, which is especially important in a city where the powers-that-be actively worked to erase you. Union Street was an official selection of the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival and the 2023 Reelworld Film Festival, where Jamila Pomeroy, the film’s director, won the award for Outstanding Director for a Feature Film. The film is now available on Telus Optik TV Channel 8 and the Telus Originals website. Jamila joins Sabrina Rani Furminger to talk about the past, present, and future of Vancouver’s Black community, and how what happened when she tried to organize a party on Union Street speaks volumes about the barriers that exist today. 

Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Meredith Hama-Brown is the force behind Seagrass, one of the most talked-about feature film directorial debuts to come out of Western Canada in recent memory. Seagrass is the story of a family falling apart. Ally Maki stars as Judith, a Japanese Canadian woman who brings her family to a self-development retreat after the recent death of her mother. When Judith and her husband befriend another interracial couple (one who seems to have the perfect marriage), Judith begins to recognize how irreparably fractured her relationship actually is. Seagrass is devastating, engrossing, and somehow at once a family drama and a ghost story and a 1990s period piece, all set against a startling Pacific North West backdrop and lovingly shot by exceptionally talented cinematographer Norm Li. Seagrass played to sold out crowds at TIFF, won the coveted International Film Critics Awards Fipresci Prize, and was selected for Canada's TIFF Top Ten showcase screening. The film had its highly anticipated North American theatrical release in February, and will be available on VOD on April 2. In this fascinating and thoughtful conversation, Meredith discusses her journey to and with Seagrass, casual racism, where Seagrass should be placed in a video store, and what comes next. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Re:Uniting is the story of a group of college friends who graduated from university together in the late 1990s and reunite for the first time in nearly a decade on Bowen Island. They arrive on the island bearing scars from the traumas of the intervening years, as well as many secrets. Re:Uniting is Drama with a capital D – but is also rich with moments of humour, catharsis, and so much love. Re:Uniting is the feature film directorial debut from actress-filmmaker Laura Adkin and is populated by an ensemble of powerhouses: old friends of the podcast Roger Cross, Michelle Harrison, David Lewis, and Carmen Moore, and new friends Jesse L. Martin and Bronwen Smith.

Re:Uniting will screen in theatres across Canada beginning on March 15, including a special screening at Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas in Vancouver on March 16 featuring a Q&A with Laura and select cast that will be hosted by YVR Screen Scene’s Sabrina Rani Furminger. In Episode 305, Laura Adkin, Carmen Moore, and Bronwen Smith join Sabrina to talk about their adventures in island filmmaking, building chemistry in the ensemble, self-care for actors, why our 20s are hard, and what happens when you’re trying to film something with Bronwen and she suddenly sees a seal. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

Filmmaker Kevin Eastwood returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to discuss his latest documentary. The Society Page – which premieres on Knowledge Network on March 17 – is an in-depth look at the life, craft, and impact of Malcolm Parry, Vancouver’s iconic society columnist. For 40 years, Malcolm was a stealthy presence at events, photographing arguably more Vancouverites and VIPs during that time period than anyone else for his influential society column in the Vancouver Sun. The Society Page delves into Malcolm’s role in cataloguing and shaping the city’s cultural landscape, as well as his work as a journalist and editor who launched the career of numerous other icons, including Douglas Coupland (without whom this film wouldn’t have been made). In this fascinating episode, Kevin discusses Malcolm Parry, the role of a society columnist in any given city, and what we can learn about that city through their lens. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment