City man producing new film with Indigenous themes

By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on September 5, 2024.

Submitted photo - David Cormican, who got his start in the performing arts at Catholic Central High School, now runs his own film production company.

A producer from Lethbridge is currently working on a new film about a couple of influencers who get caught up in a cult during their adventures.

David Cormican attended Catholic Central High School (CCH) where he was part of the “drama thugs,” a term he uses affectionately. He was taught by Peter Mueller who became one of his first mentors as he guided Cormican through auditions for his post-secondary education.

Cormican attended Grant MacEwan Community College, now MacEwan University, and graduated from the Theatre Arts program.

Once graduated Cormican started out as an actor and worked for several theatre companies. He then connected with the Alberta Opera and spent a couple of years touring all over Alberta and B.C. to perform operettas in elementary and high schools.

During his tenure at the Alberta Opera, Cormican spent his summers studying theatre. He spent one summer in Ireland studying Irish theater at Gaiety School in Dublin.

The next summer Cormican went to New York to study at the New York Film Academy. It was here he was introduced to the world of film and television and what it could look like for him.

Unfortunately, he was unable to obtain the necessary work permits to move to New York, so he went to the closest city which had a film scene – Toronto.

In Toronto Cormican did his best to get involved in the community by working as an underemployed actor. He started working for a marketing agency, but continued to write, produce, intern and apprentice as many productions he could.

Cormican’s efforts led to him getting invited to the Just for Laughs Festival for a show he had created. At the festival they had a pitching competition for a comedy series. Cormican came second in the competition which landed him in Variety and five different offers for his series.

While his series never took off, Cormican received a job at Mind’s Eye Entertainment in Saskatchewan as their head of development.

During the next four years he started executive producing high budget feature films in the $1-25 million range. Through this job, he learned how to produce movies and got his start on the path he embarked on.

In 2013 Cormican moved back to Toronto and started up a production company with Don Carmody, who he co-produced a film named “13 Eerie” with.

This led to the formation of Don Carmody Television which produced the first Canadian television series deal with Netflix for their show “Between” they co-commissioned with Rogers and City TV Canada and the rest of the world to see.

Cormican continued to float back and forth between scripted television and feature films.

In 2019 Cormican showran “Northern Rescue,” which was co-commissioned between CBC and Netflix and ended up becoming the No. 1 Netflix show in the world for a week.

Since then, Cormican has launched his own production company Fun Republic Pictures, which produces film and television productions in virtual productions which is the same technology used in the show “The Mandalorian.” This technology gives producers the ability to create worlds from scratch and shoot in a studio rather than practical locations or green screens. The actors can see what is happening on the screen, making their reactions much more believable and authentic.

Cormican is currently working with Metis screenwriter and director Trevor Cameron on a new horror film titled “#Vanlife,” which follows two travelling influencers who find themselves entrapped in a cult.

Cameron says he drew inspiration for the show from his experiences in other works he has directed.

“This is a film that grew from my experience in filming my documentary “Shadow of Dumont”. In that project I explored being Metis and keeping the culture alive while living in the city. I used the road trip experience to frame this. After over a month on the road, I found many Metis and others, who felt they were losing what made them unique,” said Cameron.

Cormican added working with Cameron has been an incredible experience so far.

“Trevor Cameron is a remarkable human being and (also) a really creative one and so it’s been a real joy sort of getting to work with them on, on the scripts initially, just like a really wonderful collaborative process. He’s got a really unique voice and he also has a wicked sense of humor that he’s brought to this script. What’s quite nice about this project, for me, is that Trevor has written an incredible thriller,” said Cormican.

Not only are the themes of the series from Indigenous folklore, but all the main characters are also performed by Indigenous actors including Michelle Thrush from the Nekaneet First Nation. Justin Derickson from Westbank First Nation, Dakota Ray Hebert from the English River First Nation, Tahmo Penikett from the White River First Nation and Joel Montgrand from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.

Cameron says it is important to tell Indigenous stories from their perspectives especially when it comes to the media, which is why he chose Indigenous actors to portray the characters.

“I think the importance of Indigenous representation is to tell our stories from our own perspective, not to have to frame it with a mainstream lead. I also approach representation from behind the camera. Having a script written, the movie directed from within the culture is sometimes overlooked. My goal is to tell a very Metis story with Indigenous actors,” said Cameron.

Cameron also added his original plan was to have the “Metisness” go unmentioned, however the producers were able to convince him otherwise due to the power the horror/thrill genre could have to portray social issues.

Filming is set to begin Aug. 23 and end Sept. 17. Cormican says they have a deal with Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN,) and plan on targeting film festivals before securing sales in other territories such as streaming services.

Cameron says he looks forward to being able share the film with the world.

“I’m still in awe of the cast we were able to get for #Vanlife! We have amazing veteran Indigenous actors and exciting new talent. Couple them with having the ability to use this cutting-edge technology humbles me. I can’t wait to share this story with everyone,” said Cameron.

“#Vanlife” isn’t the only exciting thing Cormican has on the go. At Comic-Con there was a bold prediction made there would be the first episode of “Arthur C. Clarke’s Venus Prime” debuting at Comic-Con next year – a feat Cormican says will be a big swing to pull off.

“That one, I think is going to be a real big swing. I am beyond excited to bring that to audiences,” said Cormican.

While the road may not have been the smoothest route, Cormican says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It was never easy. I’ve always been amazed that any project that gets made, whether it’s great or awful, it’s taken a lot of those to turn those no’s into maybes and to turn those maybes into yeses. So, it’s definitely a battle of perseverance for anyone that gets in and wants to go into this side of the business.”