Landmark showing film set in Penticton in 2003
A new film set in Penticton premieres in its hometown theatre this Thursday, May 2.
“Wild Goat Surf” marks the directorial debut of Caitlyn Sponhemier, who acts in the coming-of-age indie film that’s set in 2003 in a run-down Penticton mobile home park.
It stars Shayelin Martin as Goat, “a surfing-obsessed, 13-year-old skater girl, as she navigates the unbridled, unstructured, summer days of youth, dreaming about becoming a surfer like her deceased father,” according to the film’s synopsis.
“While her mother sublets their rental unauthorized and takes on two jobs during the bustling summer months, Goat is left to her own devices; coping with grief through rambunctious actions that soon go too far.”
Sponhemier, who also wrote and co-produced, grew up in Calgary and spent many summers camping with her family in Penticton – which left an indelible impression on her.
“It really was like this beautiful escape for me, and when I got older into my 20s and we hadn’t gone as much, I was having this really intense nostalgia for Penticton, so I started to think about this story,” explained Sponheimer in a phone interview Monday.
“And just also learning about the amount of people who live below the poverty line in the Okanagan Valley was also quite stunning,” she continued later, “so when I started to get more into that and researching that, it started to make me realize I was coming into this place that was heaven to me, meanwhile there are people there who are just trying to get their meals. So, that was a really interesting side to me.”
Principal shooting occurred in Penticton over a period of several weeks in the summer of 2022, and relied on a pool of local talent both on and off screen.
“We had such a tight schedule with kids – 10-hour days because of their (maximum allowable working) hours and then also they’re just a little more distracted,” said Sponheimer with a laugh.
Sponheimer takes a turn on screen as Goat’s mother, Jane, in the film, which also features Leandro Guedes and Penticton’s own Joseph Diemand. All three will be on hand, along with Martin and co-producer Michael Johnston, for Thursday’s screening at 6 p.m. at Landmark Cinemas.
The screening will be preceded by a red-carpet event and skateboarding demonstration, then followed by a moderated question-and-answer session.
Tickets are available at the Landmark Cinemas box office.
The film is also screening at theatres in Vancouver and Toronto
“Wild Goat Surf” won five awards at the 2023 Chilliwack Independent Film Festival and was a nominee at the Calgary International Film Festival.
Sponhemier expects the film to be available on the Crave streaming service in June.
Her previous works include “April in Autumn” (2018), “The Boys” (2019) and “Kitty’s Naughty Knickers” (2019).