Last night marked the highly anticipated sold out local premiere of Ecstasy, a film based on Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name, at the Grand Theatre.
Sault Ste. Marie was a primary shooting location for the film back in December 2010.
Director, producer, and screenwriter Rob Heydon was excited to return to Sault Ste. Marie and showcase the completed film to those who played such a pivotal role in its production.
Sitting at a table a short time before the film started, Heydon pointed out all of the extras and local hires for his film and identified them all by name.
“It’s great to see all the friends we made during the shoot,” he said. “The community opened their homes to us and made us feel welcome. This is the least we could do to show our appreciation and have Sault Ste. Marie screen the film before it’s even released.”
Most in attendance at last night's screening were hired for the film as actors, grip assistants, location scouts, and production assistants.
Saulite Jesse Souliere was hired as a grip assistant right out of film school and was nervous about being on set at first.
“I was star-struck for the first couple days as Carlo Rota is one of my favorite actors,” he told SooToday.com. “But I ended up having the time of my life. I learned a lot about teamwork during the production and was trained by people who have been in the business for some time. Thanks to my experience working with this film, I have been able to work with another two productions that came through Sault Ste. Marie.”
While watching the film, one wouldn’t guess it was filmed anywhere but Edinburgh, Scotland until you see Saulites walking through the background, dancing in the club scenes, or sitting on a couch with the main cast sharing a cigarette.
Periodically throughout the film, the audience would cheer every time they recognized a business or church that was a filming location, and every time they saw the faces of local actors on screen.
Jason Lawrence was hired as an extra during the shoot and since then has been part of four different productions in Sault Ste. Marie.
“Coming from a military background, I could appreciate and understand how demanding and time sensitive this work can be," he said. "It’s amazing to watch it all come together.”
Shot in Sault Ste. Marie and Toronto, as well as Scotland and Amsterdam, Ecstasy follows the romance between Heather (Canada’s Kristin Kreuk) and Lloyd (Scotsman Adam Sinclair) as they explore a chemical romance and discover whether their love for one another is real or not.
Ecstasy’s cast also includes Billy Boyd (Lord of the Rings), Carlo Rota (Little Mosque on the Prairie) and Stephen McHattie (Watchmen).
For more information about the film, please click here.