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Film producer lands grant

Synnove Godeseth
film
Producer Synnove Godeseth of Grantham’s Landing.

A Grantham’s Landing film professional is already scouting locations and making plans for a short film, Never Better – A Closure Comedy.

Synnove Godeseth is part of a team that has received a $10,000 grant from Telus’ community-powered funding program, Storyhive. The contest called on female directors in B.C. and Alberta to pitch genre-bending ideas, and Godeseth’s project is one of a total of 30 finalists who were selected from the two provinces to bring their digital short project to life. For this they receive funding, mentorship and a screening on TV in February when the audience will vote for a winner. The film is written, acted and directed by Lucie Guest.

Godeseth’s role is as producer. “I’m bringing all the parts together,” she says, and she’s got lots of experience to call on. She started in the industry in the U.K. for six years then came to Canada on a working holiday at the film industry of Vancouver. She landed a job on The Twilight Saga as crew, met her future husband on the set and they moved to the Sunshine Coast four years ago. In the past she has put in many hours as location manager for War Horse, assistant for the TV series King & Maxwell, production assistant and producer for TV shorts and series.

Because the couple both work in the film industry, they commute to Vancouver frequently. The short film Never Better will be shot partly on location in Vancouver’s East End and partly at an as yet undetermined cabin in the woods.

“It could be the Sunshine Coast or it could be Squamish,” Godeseth says, and notes that the logistics of bringing a film crew here on the ferry are difficult. The story is about a newly single woman seeking validation and getting something completely different in return.

“It’s relevant to lots of my friends at the moment,” she says. The star, Lucie Guest, is a dedicated actress who knows what she wants, Godeseth notes, and it’s a really funny script. The main character, Rudi, is in her mid-30s, in between jobs, lives in a run-down East Van apartment and is completely in denial of her mental state – she is stuck in the past. After making the decision to break up with her ex, Dave, who has become a new owner of a bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere B.C., Rudi takes a road trip to reconcile with him, but things take an interesting turn.

“I’m ecstatic that we have funding for this,” Godeseth says. The funding allows her to audition good actors and actresses for the other roles who know they will have exposure on TV. The cast and crew will be shooting at the end of November.

Storyhive runs other competitions for film-makers, animators and music videographers. See www.storyhive.com for more.