Increased support for the screen sector in Saskatchewan allowed The Feather News to “immensely” increase its production value, buoyed by a “new renaissance within the film industry” in the province, according to its creator and executive producer.

The 6 x 22-minute satirical series, which will premiere on APTN lumi on Feb. 14, was created by Saskatoon, Sask.-based stand-up comedian Ryan Moccasin, who is Anishinaabe from Saulteaux First Nation. The format was initially launched in 2018 as a comedy blog and YouTube channel, operating as a parody of media and government done from an Indigenous perspective through a pseudo-newscast.

The Feather News is directed by First Nations artist and producer Muskwa Lerat and produced by Cree and Mohawk actor-writer-producer-director Shawn Cuthand of The Feather Entertainment.

The series is penned by an all-Indigenous writers’ room consisting of Lerat, Moccasin, Cuthand and Cree comedian-musician-actor-writer-director Danny Knight. Cuthand and Knight are also the series’ hosts.

The Feather News was commissioned as an original for streaming service APTN lumi after winning the APTN/imagineNATIVE Web Series Pitch competition in 2021, receiving a cash prize of $50,000 from APTN. Additional financial support came from the Bell Fund, the Indigenous Screen Office, and Creative Saskatchewan.

Development for a second season is already underway, Moccasin tells Playback Daily, as well as plans to create mentorship opportunities for local Indigenous creatives to gain experience in the industry.

The debut season was produced with a budget of roughly $300,000 — an increase from its YouTube series budget of $7,500 for three to five videos. Development for the series began in January 2022, with filming taking place from June to July in Saskatoon, while post-production stretched over three months.

“The series production demanded bigger operational capacity in terms of hiring a large cast and crew, budgeting, legal counsel, marketing and paperwork. Working on a small and intimate YouTube series before the bigger-league show helped us develop the creative machine behind the show,” says Moccasin.

The overall funding allowed them to hire more than 50 different actors for the series, and find the right studio space and designer who could emulate a real newsroom. The cast includes Joseph Neapatung, Solange Fermin, Trent Heiber, Glenn Henns, Tyler Baptist, Julie Isaac, Reuben Bugera, and Kurt Dahl.

The additional funding from Creative Saskatchewan through the Film and TV Production Grant Program, which they received near the end of filming “changed the production value of the series immensely,” says Moccasin. It allowed for additional resources during post-production, including graphic work, adds Cuthand.

The Government of Saskatchewan gave the domestic production sector a shot in the arm in 2022 with a series of investments, bringing the total budget for the Film and TV Production Grant Program to $17.5 million for fiscal 2022/23. The grant, administered by Creative Saskatchewan, had a budget of $2 million in the previous fiscal year.

Moccasin, who is also a board member of the Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association (SMPIA), says the increased funding “ensures the costs associated with production are spent in Saskatchewan and there are also bonuses attached if post-production costs stay within the province as well. The funding ensures investment goes back into the community through jobs and economic activity.”

He adds that the SMPIA has seen an increase in production activity in the province since the increased grant support. The recent construction of the province’s first LED volume wall at the John Hopkins Regina Sound Stage has also had an impact on the level of below-the-line workers. “There’s a new renaissance within the film industry in our province, one in which domestic producers are looking to use this new technology and also hire more crew members for their productions,” says Moccasin.

However, Cuthand says he’s unsure whether there’s more opportunity for domestic producers versus foreign-owned service productions in the province. “Right now, it does seem like a lot of productions from out of the province are coming to Saskatchewan to take advantage of the new grants, but it’s still good because we need exposure like that to come to the province.”

Image courtesy of APTN, pictured (L-R): Shawn Cuthand and Danny Knight