COLD LAKE – Cold Lake rolled out the red carpet on Aug. 22 at Grand Square Cinema for the highly anticipated premiere of The Nation, a film produced by Aaron James Sorensen and filmed on Cold Lake First Nation.
The movie tells the story of an unconventional First Nation chief who, backed by casino and oil revenues, takes sovereignty to new levels, making and enforcing laws as though his community were truly its own nation.
Kelly Orr, who plays Monica, the Chief’s sister and band administrator, said the film captured the clash between tradition and rebellion.
“So essentially, it's about a chief who kind of runs wild and, you know, he's running it the way he wants to run it. And his sister is actually the band administrator, Monica, played by me, and I'm his opposite.”
Orr, originally from Manitoba and now living in Cold Lake for the past 13 years, said the opportunity rekindled her long-held dream of acting.
“It was nice to just get up and go and do something that I've always dreamed of doing.”
She described filming locally as being very special.
“I've always wanted to be an actor and it's nice that I can get up in my own bed and go to set and act and then just come home.”
She added that the comedy reflects Indigenous humour and pride.
“Indigenous people, as a whole, we're hilarious. We always say laughter is medicine. We love to joke, we love to tease, and this really encapsulates who we are as people.”
Kristen Minoose, who plays Vanessa, also brought local roots to the screen.
“I'm from Cold Lake First Nations,” she said, noting the pride of having an Indigenous-focused production shot on her home territory. “Especially an Indigenous film that was filmed on Cold Lake First Nations, like I'm very proud of that.”
For Minoose, stepping onto a film set for the first time was a life-changing experience.
“It was really awesome. It was really kind of eye-opening on how things are recorded . . . I've never done anything like this before, so it really was eye-opening.”
She hopes the project helps bring more visibility to Indigenous voices in film. “If there's anything that takes away from it, I think that a lot more Indigenous communities should be more involved in sets like this.”
The excitement at the premiere reflected a sense of community pride, as Cold Lake and Cold Lake First Nation residents celebrated seeing their region - and their stories - on the big screen.
The Nation will be shown in select theatres for a limited time.
