A Grande Prairie-based filmmaker looking to show off a behind the curtain look at the local MMA scene has secured $50,000 in funding thanks to TELUS STORYHIVE.
“Small Town Strength” Project Lead and Director Darryl Haugen says her time in the Grande Prairie Regional College Video Production course, and her spot on the combat sports commission made choosing this topic an easy one.
“Last year the instructor asked us to come up with an idea for a documentary and I never used it. Then, the STORYHIVE opportunity came up and I thought I’d try for that.”
With several big-ticket mixed martial arts events brought to various facilities across Grande Prairie, Haugen says there is more than enough interest from Peace Region fighters, promoters, and fans to get the footage she needs. She hopes that the bulk of the filming will take place at a fight night on October 4th.
As far as the money goes, Haugen says on top of production equipment, it will help fund several key aspects of filmmaking.
“Some of it will be the equipment. Lighting, sound equipment, [things] like that. We have a local band scoring the whole film, so some of it will be allocated to them.”
The rough cut of the movie is due in January 2020, with an expected release date of July 2020.