Cody Bown, a Fort MacMurray native and accomplished filmmaker, will be returning to the area to produce his first major feature film. The title of his film will be Gregoire, and Bown hopes that it will capture the feel and spirit of Fort MacMurray while also keeping his name active at both domestic and international film festivals. So far Cody has been involved with either writing or producing three shorts that were chosen for the highly prestigious and much coveted Cannes Film Festival, with short films titled Wool, Entertainment, and Homesick. The latest effort will follow a trio of characters, two of whom are troubled brothers, and it is intended to reflect on “conversations and feelings we had growing up” according to Bown.

When Cody Bown discusses his beginnings as a Fort MacMurray native it is apparent that the filmmaker has fond memories of the area. Bown talked about the feature film that he is making and said “It’s about three young adults who are forced to make decisions. They’re put at a crossroads where their decisions are going to affect their lives as well as others. In the story, it will be introducing the characters by where they’re from. It will be the story of two brothers from Beacon Hill, and then the story of a girl from Abasand, and they come together in Gregoire. It’s a really good opportunity for folks to get involved with a project that isn’t going to come in for a weekend and just shit on the town. This perspective of somebody who grew up here is an important viewpoint that is often missed.”