The Viewfinder: Ian Toews

By Morgan Jones

When we began planning the 30th edition of the Living Skies Student Film Festival, I really had no idea what lay ahead for me. I knew that we would

show some films, have some guests, and hopefully bring a small community together to celebrate what students have been working so hard on. What I did not know was that I would be meeting Ian Toews, someone who, after getting to chat with him while writing a profile, has furthered my appreciation for the work that filmmakers do.

Along with curating films for Living Skies, we were tasked with planning an event for the University of Regina Film Department’s Distinguished Alumni Award. This award is given out every two years to graduates of the film program who have made their mark both in filmmaking, as well as in film culture. For Ian, this year’s recipient, this was an easy list of criteria to meet.

Ian has worked extensively in documentary filmmaking since his own days as a film student at the University of Regina.

Some of his most prominent works filmed in Saskatchewan include Saskatchewan River Delta (2009), and Grasslands, which was completed more than four years ago. Ian had left Saskatchewan one year prior, however, to shoot Bugs on the Menu for CBC, and was able to secure funding for that production in British Columbia. This was money, Ian reminded me when I spoke with him on the phone, that could have been spent in Saskatchewan if it hadn’t been for the cut of the Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit.

When he left Saskatchewan, Toews was in the middle of shooting Grasslands, which was being produced for SCN at the time, and he felt this film to be a sort of “goodbye” to Saskatchewan, as well as a goodbye to, as you may have guessed, the tax credit, as Grasslands was the last of his films to be produced with the credit.

Since his departure from the province, Ian has been travelling between his Victoria-based production company, 291 Film Company, to other parts of the country (Saskatchewan included) to continue work on his projects. One of his current productions, a series for Vision TV entitled Ageless Gardens, focuses on gardening through the lens of aging and wellness. The series is in production for its second season, and is about to head into post.

When I asked Ian what it is that seems to keep pulling him back to our neck of the woods, his answer was nature. “I always come back to nature because that’s what I’m drawn to,” Ian says. “I can find beauty anywhere. In many ways, it’s sort of easy for me to film.” With the abundance of natural beauty in Saskatchewan, it’s no wonder Ian keeps coming back for more.

I’ll be perfectly honest; you can tell when someone loves what they do, and it’s clear that this is true of Toews. His excitement and commitment to his work is obvious, both from what I saw from his time at Living Skies, and from our conversation during his interview. During his documentary workshop at the festival, he showed us several different clips from his work over the years. Although I was unable to stay for the entirety of the event – we had a reception to set up for the Alumni Award, after all – I was able to hear a lot about what it’s really like to do something you’re proud of.

I told Ian that I would be writing about my experience of his workshop when I spoke with him again over the phone, and he mentioned how important gratitude is to him when he thinks about his work. “I went to film school, just like you, and all I wanted to do was make films, and lo and behold, that’s what I do.”

Ian says that he’s always grateful for his experiences, and those who help make them possible.

I also told Ian about my feelings with taking any sort of desk job, and how it really solidifies my determination to be a filmmaker whenever I do something not related to film, and he admitted to feeling the same when he was new to the industry. He felt as though doing something he didn’t want to do only focused him more on his final goal of filmmaking.

As I spoke with Ian for this article, he was on the road to La Ronge for a seven-day canoe trip. This was not just a leisure trip, though; he was on his way to shoot footage for Etthen Heldeli: Caribou Eaters, an upcoming documentary about Dene culture in Saskatchewan and its ties to the caribou. This film will likely be his last one-hour film shot in Sask, but Ian feels that things have played out the way he hoped. “I always had an idea of doing a trilogy of nature films in Saskatchewan.” With Etthen, he will be doing just that.

As Ian and I talked and I learned more about his outlook on the film industry here in Saskatchewan – and about the province itself – it’s hard not to feel a sense of loss for the film industry that once was, and could have been. Opportunities were taken away from Saskatchewan filmmakers, sending veteran and up- and-coming filmmakers alike away from the province in the aftershock of the tax credit. However, Ian did provide me with his outlook on the situation, and with it, a renewed hope that filmmaking is definitely a community for me. He recommends that emerging and veteran filmmakers alike stay true to themselves.

“Having an idea, getting it funded and produced, and doing it yourself, all the way through – that opportunity exists. The opportunities weren’t as obvious before

because there were a lot of crew jobs to get your attention. Being your own creator, producer, or editor wasn’t the only path, and consequently, few people went down that path. Nowadays, it’s kind of the only path in the province for aspiring filmmakers.”

As much as we like to mourn the change in our province’s film industry, there is no shortage of enthusiasm. Some of Ian’s favourite moments in coming back for the festival was the opportunity to meet students. Their willingness to create and then submit to countless festivals to have their hard work seen gives Ian a lot of hope. Perhaps it’s hope for the future of the industry, or maybe just hope that these students will stick to their vision as Ian did, and work to create something they love. It’s funny then, that seeing Ian’s willingness to create and dedication to his own vision has given this student a lot of hope too. / S

This article appeared in the Fall/Winter 2018 issue of Splice