When one mentions “a small fortune,” what they really mean is a lot of money.
When writer-producer Adam Perry refers to “A Small Fortune,” he’s referring to the feature length movie he and his production partners in Saltwater Films hope to shoot in western P.E.I. this year – if they get the funding.
They’ve shot a proof of concept short film, “A Blessing from the sea” that is making the rounds on the film festival circuit across North America and beyond.
Recently, Saltwater Films learned its screenplay for “A Small Fortune” has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Atlantic Film Festival that will be held in April and is one of North America’s longest-running film festivals.
Next week, fellow production team members Jason Arsenault and Jenna MacMillan, will be in France for a major festival.
“It’s a big opportunity and it’s nice to be recognized for the work we’ve put in because it’s been a long time and we work hard at trying to get this project off the ground,” said Perry.
“Festivals are a good networking opportunity to put a face to a name,” the Charlottetown native said.
The proof-of-concept film was shot in the fall of 2016, primarily in West Prince. As the story line goes, an Irish Moss harvester finds a boatload of cash. The cast included Lennie MacPherson, Bryde MacLean, Lennie Gallant, Jonathan Torrens and Joel Thomas Hynes.
Perry is hoping many of the cast members will appear in the feature film, but he admits some of those decisions could be left up to broadcasters and distributors.
He remains hopeful the movie will be shot in West Prince. “If we can swing it, that’s the plan,” he said.
A boatload of cash or, more specifically, financing, is still needed to move the movie forward.
“Financing is absolutely the big one. We’ve been, over the past two years, building relationships with broadcasters and distributors, because they’re important partners to bring to the table, as well, when making a feature,” he acknowledged.
“We’re right on track as far as what our plans have been from the get-go,” he said.
While there has been no commitment made at this point, Perry is encouraged the provincial government, through Innovation P.E.I., is showing interest in financing home-grown productions.
As for the short film, once it has completed its film festival run, it will find a home on The Movie Network for 18 months.
If filming goes ahead as planned this fall, Perry said “A Small Fortune” should be ready for the film festival circuit by summer-fall 2019, and theatrical release by 2020.
“It takes a lot of time,” he said.
Unfortunately, a horse that appeared in scenes for the proof-of-concept short film, “A blessing from the Sea”, will not make it onto the big screen.
Misty, a horse used to harvest moss and owned by Lloyd Shea of Seacow Pond, had to be euthanized this month. She was 28 years old.
Shea said his horse, 26 years old at time of filming, was not at all flustered by the fanfare. “She’d would just stand there on the shore and nothing like lights or if somebody drove by on a four-wheeler, that wouldn’t even make her blink,” he said.
“She got to be a movie star,” he said, with a chuckle.
He bought Misty as a four-year-old. She was still on her mother and unbroken when he first saw her. He liked her shape, the size of her head and her cup feet.
He described her as a loyal and hardworking moss horse, and said a buddy referred to her as the Cadillac of moss horses. He recalled arriving at North Cape at 4 a.m. one moss day and not getting back home until daybreak the following day.
“That night she hauled a lot of stuff,” he said. “She was still the same coming out of the water as she was with the first scoopful.”
