TELUS originals has greenlit 10 documentary projects showcasing stories from B.C. and Alberta for its 2025/26 documentary slate.

The projects include nine feature documentaries and one limited series. They were selected in late 2024 with the greenlight contracts largely executed the week of March 3, a TELUS originals spokesperson told Playback Daily.

While one of the doc features has yet to be announced, among the nine greenlit features is Starry Night (Remedium Pictures), directed by Bruce Thomas Miller and produced by Kevin Dong. It follows a troupe of performers working on a play centered around their shared condition, schizophrenia.

Another feature is Significant Others (Norita Films), directed and produced by Milena Salazar. The film, which is currently in production, looks into how robotic pets are being used to combat isolation, particularly in the elderly population.

Also in production is Liz Cairns’ My Friend Harry (Inis Duinn Films), produced by Cairns and Erica Landrock. It follows the filmmaker and an eccentric senior as they collaborate on a film following his cancer diagnosis.

Two other projects confirmed in production are the feature Thieves of Ashes (Lost Time Media; pictured) and the limited series Off Road Rescue (Render Digital Media, 5 x 30 minutes). Thieves of Ashes is directed by Lumir Kosar and produced by Marc Franceour, Wanda Kapralova and Klara Mamojkova, and follows two Czech mushroom hunters searching for morels in B.C. in the aftermath of forest fires. Off Road Rescue, directed and produced by Pamela Thompson, accompanies wheelchair user Bruce Cook as he conducts rescues along the edge of some of Canada’s most treacherous mountains.

Also greenlit is the feature Untamed (ID Productions) directed by Julia Ivanova and produced by Rosie Dransfeld. It follows a self-appointed guardian of wild horses in the Rocky Mountains.

Other greenlit features include Menopause: Coming in Hot (Coming in Hot Productions), directed by Kate Green and produced by Amber Orchard, in which Green takes viewers on a “wild ride” through the experience of menopause; and Northern Stars (NS Documentary Productions), directed by Todd Forsbloom and produced by Jim Shockey, Mike Wavrecan and Erik Virtanen, which follows former Olympian Sharon Firth as she embarks on a cross-country skiing challenge to honour the passing of her twin sister.

Rounding out the slate is Roots and Tides: The Malahat Reawakening (Roots and Tides Productions), directed by Tiffany Ayalik and produced by Ayalik and Caroline Cox. The film tells the story of the Malahat Nation’s quest to restore their ancestral territory through food sovereignty.

“Especially now, Canadians are hungry for narratives that reflect their lives and perspectives,” said Leah Camenzind, managing production executive, TELUS originals, in a statement. “The exceptional talent showcased in this slate of projects demonstrates the incredible capabilities of Canadian documentary filmmakers.”

The next TELUS originals pitch intake window runs from June 2 to 30.

Support from the telco via its originals division comes in the form of licence fees, creative and logistic support throughout production and post production, marketing support and release via myriad platforms, including TELUS Optik TV in B.C. and Alberta, TELUS Stream+ and online via its originals portal. In addition, filmmakers retain the IP for the projects and are able to pursue additional distribution avenues after the project’s release on TELUS Optik TV.

Image courtesy of TELUS originals