High River is the new Hollywood

Twice a month I make the forty-minute drive out to the High River General Hospital to perform surgery. My office and the majority of my practice is situated at the Calgary Children’s Hospital, however, the demand for OR time is difficult to fill in Calgary and as such High River has been a welcome solution. For those of you who do not know, High River is a town just south of Calgary, with a population of 13,584 people.

It’s over a month till Halloween, but as I am driving toward the hospital I am greeted by a group of zombies wandering the streets, presumably looking for victims. It would be alarming if it wasn’t for the camera crew and trailers on the scene. As it turns out High River has become the set for many Hollywood blockbusters as well as many series including The New Ghostbusters, Hell on Wheels and Heartland to name a few.

It crosses my mind that in the wake of Covid and the restrictions on travel, that maybe we are witnessing a change here. High River has always been a cost effective local, the ideal choice for a Western backdrop in particular, ripe with talent and low-cost support for even high budget films. Now, with all that experience, I wonder if will High River will open doors to local film producers, especially in the absence of the blockbusters coming out of Hollywood. Perhaps we are on the wake of a shift in entertainment. Perhaps one that will open doors to new talent, especially within the independent film industry.