Great Sand Hills in Saskatchewan

The Great Sand Hills are one of Canada’s most unique and otherworldly natural landscapes, located in the southwest region of Saskatchewan. Spanning thousands of square kilometers, this remarkable area features rolling sand dunes, some reaching up to 20 meters high, creating a striking contrast against the surrounding prairie grasslands. Formed over 10,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, the dunes were shaped by glacial meltwater and strong winds, leaving behind this rare inland desert-like environment.

Despite their barren appearance, the Great Sand Hills are rich in biodiversity. The region supports a variety of specialized plants and animals that have adapted to the sandy terrain, including rare grasses, insects, and small mammals. It is also an important habitat for species at risk, making it an ecologically sensitive area that is carefully managed.

Visitors to the Great Sand Hills are drawn by the sense of isolation and natural beauty. The open landscape offers incredible opportunities for photography, hiking, and wildlife observation. Unlike more crowded tourist destinations, the area remains quiet and largely untouched, giving travelers a chance to experience the raw, windswept character of the Canadian prairies. Overall, the Great Sand Hills stand as a fascinating reminder of Canada’s diverse geography, offering a peaceful yet dramatic escape into one of the country’s most unexpected natural wonders.

 

University of Regina Film School

A few snapshots from a fresh exploration of my former film school (during a recent reunion this summer) at the University of Regina in Regina, Saskatchewan.

A Film School Reunion in Saskatchewan

This last week I was soaking up the nostalgia on a film school reunion tour around Saskatchewan with some of my closest friends. While we've all been back over the years, I don't think we've all been back at the same time since we were actually students.

With so many of us living out of province now, this Saskatchewan trip became the perfect excuse for us to all travel back to Saskatoon and Regina to hangout, reminisce, and go back to some of our old stomping grounds. I can't quite remember the last time I've consumed this much beer in a single week lol.

Amazingly everything always seems to fall back into place when revisiting old friends. The trip coincidentally lined up with move-in week at the University of Regina, which immediately triggered so many great memories of my years living in the dorms there.

If there was any more glaring reminder of just how much has changed since my days as a film student, my feature-length documentary was also playing at the 2024 Regina International Film Festival just days before I made it back. With the trip finalized long before I even knew the doc would pick up the 'official selection' here, it was another serendipitous bit of timing.

These moments always seem too few and far between, but what a great week. I'm glad we're still making memories all these years later.

Your Cinema Needs You: RIFFA Nomination

This feels like a full-circle moment. 

Last week the official selections for the 2024 Regina International Film Festival & Awards in Regina, Saskatchewan were announced and there was something particularly special in seeing the notifications about Your Cinema Needs You popping up in my inbox this time.

 

Since February 2024, the feature-length documentary about Canada's oldest, surviving, purpose-built movie theatre has been selected and screened at over 20 international film festivals in 11 countries. In what will likely be one of the last festivals of this tour at the end of August, the reason this selection hits differently is because not so long ago I was an ambitious, but clueless film student at the University of Regina. In fact, I launched "Editing Luke" while living in the dorms on campus at College West. 

If that bit of poetry and nostalgia isn't enough though, it also doesn't hurt that Your Cinema Needs You has picked up a nomination in the Best Documentary (Canadian long form) category at this year's festival - not that I needed much of an excuse for a reunion, but it's a great reason to celebrate all the same! I'd also like to shout out all of my film profs - "See? I wasn't sleeping in class, I was brainstorming for future moments like this!"

Autumn River Views in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

A few autumn visuals across the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Autumn in Wascana Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan

A few visuals from around Wascana Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan.