Rambunxious Entertainment will be in the valley this September to film The Iron Loop, a World War II film set in North Africa.

    It appears this year there is a resurgence of movie making in the valley and as one production wraps, another is ramping up.
    Last week, the zombie flick Breakdown Lane wrapped up its time in Drumheller. This week, inSide Drumheller has learned a World War II drama called The Iron Loop is planning to shoot come this fall in the valley.
    The film is being produced by Rambunxious Entertainment, a collaborative effort  of three artists based in Calgary who are familiar to the valley.
    “We love it in Drumheller,” said Ryan Hatt. “This will be our third feature film. We filmed our first one, Hoodoo Voodoo, a sort of B-action film we wrote in 2009. We’re no strangers to the valley.”
    The company dubs their craft ‘guerilla filmmaking’ and after some success with Hoodoo Voodoo and a selection at the Action on International Film Festival, the company went on to film Battle Earth. It won three awards at the same festival and also garnered four more nominations, as well as wide distribution.
    The Iron Loop is also  a film steeped in action and conflict.
    “It is a film set in World War II, but you will also get to see our main character’s experience following the war as well, dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome,” said Hatt. “In a sense the war scenes are flashbacks, but it is the war scenes we’ll be shooting in Drumheller.”
    This movie will have a significantly different look than most World War II films which focus on either Europe or the Pacific Rim.
    “As there are tons of war films out there, one of the things we looked at was what are some of the things that haven’t been done yet, and you don’t see a lot of war films that deal with what happened in North Africa. Obviously, Drumheller isn’t North Africa, but it’s kind of close,” said Hatt.
    The production is scheduled to be in Drumheller this September and hitting the ground ready to go. The three principals of Rambunxious, Hatt, Aaron Kurmey and Kevin Johnson fill in a number of roles in the production from writing, behind the camera, to acting.
     “As a independent film company you sort of learn you have to have a business sense, because it is not all about grabbing a camera and heading to shoot anymore,” said Hatt. “None of us have really been a part of a major Hollywood production, but it is something the three of us want to do with our lives and pursue. So we concluded Hollywood isn’t going to come to us, we have to actually do it.”
    This year has seen a number of projects in the Valley. Breakdown Lane involved a number of locals in its zombie feature. The Cut, a German production were in Rowley this spring on a major feature production and North Country Cinema held local auditions for another possible project.
    “It seems like Alberta filmmakers are almost stumbling across Drumheller for the first time realizing just how great a locations it is. It is very unique and diverse,” Hatt said.

Tara Suddeby-Johnson, right poses with fellow volunteer  Fran Ebey in the Calgary Stampede  Parade carriage.

    A Carbon resident has followed her family’s example and is an integral part of the Calgary Stampede Parade.
     Tara Suddaby-Johnson of Carbon has had a busy Calgary Stampede. She is a member of the Calgary Stampede Parade Committee.
    “I have been doing it for 22 years,” said Tara. “I started out with my dad, (Darrel Suddaby) and he eventually got me on the committee.”
    Originally, she would volunteer on parade day.
    ‘I did this for 10 years, I would come and help my dad,” she said.
    They always worked on the equestrian entries. Now as a member of the committee, the work starts in September, and does not stop until Stampede time. There are over 100 on the committee.
    “The applications to be in the parade have to be in by March and then we have the selection in April. After that, we start dealing with entries and come parade day we are at Fort Calgary,” she said.
    On Friday morning they start lining them up and the judging is complete before they head out on the route.
    “It is quite the event, we are our city on the night of the parade, and then it all just disappears,” said Tara.
    The parade, and in fact, service to the community has always been a family effort. Her mother Eleanor Suddaby, while not on the parade committee has always assisted. This year she won the Heart and Soul of Calgary Volunteer Award.
    This dedication has continued as now Tara’s daughter Talyn, 17, has helped with the parade for the last few years.
    This was a special year for the Calgary Stampede. After celebrating its centennial in 2012, the city was struck by the flood of the century. Despite this, they carried on with the parade. 
    Tara said they lost quite a bit of space at their mustering point at Fort Calgary.
    “We made it work, we didn’t have judging just because we thought it wouldn’t be fair because so many floats had issues with the flooding, and didn’t have enough time to work on them,” she said, adding just pulling off the Stampede was a great feat.