Vancouver – A young couple moves into what appears to be a perfectly nice neighborhood, only to learn that its name, Mount Pleasant, holds some serious irony. Sounds like a good idea for a movie, right? It’s actually what happened to director Ross Weber and producer Kimberley Wakefield when they moved into their new home in the titular, real-life B.C. town.

They’ve based their new feature on their experiences, shooting the film in Vancouver, Langley and their very own Mount Pleasant home. Principal photography will continue until late April.

Written by Weber (No More Monkeys Jumpin’ on the Bed), Mount Pleasant is a drama about three families dealing with issues of drugs, prostitution and crime in their town. Wakefield (Rage) says the actual Mount Pleasant isn’t as bad as what will be depicted in the flick, but some elements are semi-autobiographical. The film was born out of an experience the filmmaking couple had while taking part in a foot patrol in their community.

‘We realized this wasn’t necessarily a solution,’ says Wakefield. ‘The outcome is that you are pushing the problem into someone else’s neighborhood. [Weber] found that a very interesting story to tell and came up with a way to have three stories in one neighborhood come together.’

On a budget of $1 million-plus, Wakefield is producing under the banner of Mount Pleasant Productions, with funding from Telefilm Canada, British Columbia Film, CanWest Western Independent Producers Fund, Film Incentive B.C., Movie Central, The Movie Network, and tax credits. Gary McGroarty (Stand and Be Counted) is executive producer. Christal Films will distribute in Canada.

Wakefield is proud of the film’s ensemble cast, which includes Kelly Rowan (The O.C.), Shawn Doyle (Big Love), Ben Ratner (Severed) and Katie Boland (Terminal City).

‘I’m really happy that everyone is Canadian,’ she says. ‘It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something.

MPP associate producer Amy Belling (Once a Fish) says the plan is to have a festival run once the film is completed. A theatrical release should follow late this year or early next.