Filmmaker Ben Immanuel is preparing to complete production on a feature nearly three years after the start of principal photography.

Titled Have Hope Yo!, the dramedy is written, directed and produced by Immanuel, who previously worked under the name Ben Ratner. He also appears in the film. The feature first went into production in Vancouver in October 2020, and the final four-day block of filming will begin shooting on April 15.

The film follows a therapist, played by Gabrielle Miller (Corner Gas), who convinces her clients to take part in a documentary on how the COVID-19 pandemic has personally impacted them, with part of the story taking place in 2020 and the other half in 2023.

Producers on Have Hope Yo! include Immanuel, Kimi Alexander, Troy Mundle and Bernie Yao, and the film is produced in partnership with Trigger Me Productions and Pieter Stathis of post-production company Raw Camera. Executive producers include Stathis, Westworld director and EP Richard J. Lewis, Jack Ong, Gosha Wen and Yipeng Ben Lu. Franco Pante is also an executive producer and editor.

The film was privately financed and produced under the UBCP Ultra Low Budget agreement, a spokesperson for the film tells Playback Daily. Producers will shop the feature to sales agents and distributors upon completion.

Additional cast members are Favour Onwuka (Dying to Belong), Jennifer Spence (Travelers), Giacomo Baessato (The Good Doctor), Camille Sullivan (Shoresy), Elliott Ramsey (UnReal) and Natalie Farrow (iZombie).

Immanuel said in a statement that he developed the film concept in March 2020 while teaching virtual acting classes during the initial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

“Hearing young people’s stories of how the pandemic, as well as racial, gender, and social media issues, have affected their mental health and worldview has been truly enlightening,” he said. “Collaborating with these performers to create narratives inspired, in part, by their own lives, has been a privilege that I am confident will result in a compelling, revelatory, and entertaining ride.”

Immanuel and Onwuka are represented by Elena Kirschner of Red Management, Miller is repped by Nancy van Gogh of van Gogh Talent, and Lewis is repped by ICM Partners.

Pictured L-R: Gabrielle Miller, Ben Immanuel and Favour Onwuka