If you passed through downtown Kamloops Sunday you may noticed quite the production going on.
That was the crew and cast behind Outrunners, a film being shot across Kamloops. Ken Hegan, who grew up in Brocklehurst, has returned to his hometown to film his debut as a feature film director.
“It’s a pandemic comedy thriller about a determined young woman who’s racing to save her mothers life while being chased by reality show camera drones and snipers,” he said.
While the crew has been shooting around Kamloops for a while now and will continue, Sunday’s downtown scene was likely the most impactful to the general public. The intersection of Fourth Avenue and Victoria was shut down for a scene involving protesters being shot at by snipers on the Plaza Hotel.
“(It’s) the most intense sequence in the entire story. Its when Emily and Todd are racing to save her mother, they’re biking through the streets of Kamloops only to come across an anti-mask, anti-vaxxer protest that’s broken up by snipers on the roof of the plaza that are firing live bullets into the protesters,” Hegan said.
He says it’s “fantastic” to be able to shoot in his hometown, where he knows the area and the community supports the film.
“Directing out here, my hometown, where I was born and raised and I know every street, I know every alley … it gives me such a comfort level,” he said.
He’s enjoyed so much that when production starts on his next film, a zombie flick called Goners, which he’s already written, he’s considering shooting it in Kamloops instead of on the coast as he originally planned.
“Now that we’re filming Outrunners here were realizing how supportive the community is. I want to film my next three films here,” he said.
Once production wraps up in Kamloops Hegan says editing will take place over the winter, along with a couple more shots that may involve some Hollywood A-listers. He’s hoping to get Matthew McConaughey and Willem Dafoe for a couple cameos.
Once it’s finished he hopes to bring it back to Kamloops for a screening at the Plaza Hotel. From there, he’s hoping to sell the film to Netflix and have it on screens everywhere in 2021.
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