TELUS originals is funding a feature documentary on the life of Canadian soccer star Stephanie Labbé from Vancouver-based production house Wallop Film.

Cassie De Colling (Precious Leader Woman) is directing the film, Shut Out. Matt Lawrence Dix, the film’s producer and head of documentary at Wallop Film, tells Playback Daily they are actively applying for other small grants to supplement financing, along with federal tax credits.

Production is underway and will continue through spring 2023, with most of the story shot near Edmonton in Spruce Grove, where Labbé grew up and her parents still live. Some filming will also unfold in Calgary and Vancouver.

Stuart Gillies is executive producing and Andrea Wing is the writer on the film, which looks at Labbé’s time as goaltender for the Canadian women’s soccer team and her newly retired life navigating her mental health in a world of uncertainty and inequality.

Wallop Film plans to premiere the doc on the festival circuit and then launch it on TELUS Optik TV for subscribers across B.C., Alberta and Quebec, says Dix.

Gillies has had a strong relationship with Labbé for several years, having previously worked with her on a Lululemon sponsored shoot in Spruce Grove, Dix says.

Wallop Film has also been in communication with TELUS originals for years, pitching ideas to see if one would work, he adds. With De Colling onboard, they filmed some scenes in April 2022 — including Labbé’s final game ever for Canada at BC Place in Vancouver — to use as a proof of concept.

This is a corrected story. A previous version had erroneous information from the source surrounding the funder and second-window licensing prospects, among other things.