From SixTwentySix represented director Cameron Thuman comes the heartwarming new film Dreaming of a Better Place, a documentary short cinematically detailing the inspiring story of Jeff Gostlin who carries on his father’s legacy by operating Keefer Lake Lodge, a cat skiing business nestled deep in the Monashee Mountains, with his cousin and most trusted friend – Dave Gostlin.
Teaming with NativeFour Productions to produce the project, Dreaming of a Better Place is more than just a film – it’s a love letter to British Columbia’s powder culture, highlighting the significance of family and legacy, and the immense beauty that lies in the Canadian wilderness. Made in partnership with USCAPE Apparel, the film is also supported by HeliCat Canada and Destination BC, and is a part of their initiative, Stories Make Us.
Utilizing a gentle balance of intimate family moments and captivating action, Dreaming of a Better Place blends folklore storytelling with heartbreaking reality to create a surrealistic style of filmmaking unlike anything that’s been produced in the ski film genre.
While the action-packed skiing scenes captured deep in the unexplored powder appeal to snow athletes and winter sports fans alike, the Gostlins’ inspirational motivation to honor Keith’s legacy will resonate with any audience.
Fifteen years ago, before this dream was ever close to reality, Jeff was a guide for a skiing operation in British Columbia. There, he met Canadian freeskiing icon, Mark Abma, and expressed his idea of one day owning his own skiing business.
Amba encouraged this vision and in that moment, became a lifelong supporter and friend. Known for his 20-year career in cult-classic ski films like Superheroes of Stoke, In Deep, Session 51 and more, it was evident he had to appear in Dreaming of a Better Place. His powder skiing scenes define the universal heart of the snow-to-human connection capturing a visceral cinematic experience all while Abma is deeply-rooted to the Gostlin family and their Keefer Lake Lodge.
“This was a dream 35 years in the making,” said Jeff Gostlin. “My dad ignited my love for cat skiing when he surprised me for my high school graduation. Now as the owner, operator and guide, there is no doubt in my mind that this was what my father wanted for me all along.”
While Dave manages the lodge and Jeff works as the owner, operator and guide, the pair can still hear Keith telling them that a Gostlin must always be at the Keefer Lake Lodge. Keith believed the Gostlin’s passion for skiing would manifest into an intense commitment serving as the lodge’s X-factor. After Keith was diagnosed with cancer, Jeff recounts his father’s chilling call to tell the family he would be gone in a mere couple of days after choosing a medically assisted death. Jeff’s outlook on the lodge changed forever as it awoke a burning desire to honor his father by carrying on the dream that the trio had started together. Watch below:
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A labor of love on multiple levels, the film also holds additional sentimental meaning for the 24-year old Cannes YDA-nominated director Thuman, who found solace while connecting to the Gostlins. In 2015, Thuman was one of the top-ranked halfpipe skiers under the age of eighteen in the United States, after years of training and skiing with his father.
Thuman’s father was not just a skiing inspiration, but tenacious in nature as he survived blood cancer and was named the National Honored Hero for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Once Thuman heard Keith’s final words to his family, he knew that he was meant to tell this story.
“I have always had my eyes on directing a ski movie that didn’t feel like a ski movie,” shared Thuman. “What started as a documentary about a cat skiing lodge revealed itself to not be about the lodge, but rather a family driven to uphold a legacy. The film was an artistic journey crafted by a global team and made out of love for the Gostlin family and Canadian snow culture.”
Shooting the breathtaking film in a mere five days on a back-to-back schedule, Thuman captured the film’s imagery through vintage Russian lenses on diverse camera rigs utilizing the Sony VENICE on Richard Gale Optics Clavius Primes in addition to the RED V-RAPTOR on Olympus OM lenses rehoused by zero optics as well as the Laowa 12mm. The film is a visceral cinematic experience that touches all the senses.
With the film’s complex and intricate visuals, Thuman reveals that although unheard of, his production crew only consisted of two others and was shot in a mere five back-to-back days. While this seems nearly impossible, Dreaming of a Better Place proved its success through a sold-out premiere at the Canadian Screen Award Qualifying Whistler Film Festival and has had additional festival play scheduled throughout 2023 spanning America, Canada and Europe, including a Director’s Choice Award and Academy Award Qualifying selections.
Dreaming of a Better Place also features a sensational soundtrack by German artist and composer Liam Mour. Recorded in Berlin’s historic Funkhaus Cathedral, the soundtrack will be released on Spotify.
CREDITS:
- Cameron Thuman – Director
- NativeFour – Production Company
- Dave Gostlin – Key Cast
- Jeff Gostlin – Key Cast
- Mark Abma – Key Cast
- Dilan Mistry – Producer
- Christopher Clark – Director of Photography
- Editor – Christian Whittemore
- Composer – Liam Mour
- Color House – Company 3
- Colorist – Parker Jarive
- Color Producer – Blake Rice
- Sound Studio – Defacto Sound
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