WHAT THIS FILM IS — AND ISN’T

Reel Alberta is:

• A people-driven documentary

• A preservation project

• A cultural record told by those who lived it

• A story rooted in place, memory, and experience

Reel Alberta is not:

• A tourism piece

• A promotional video for the industry

• A single-studio history

• A surface-level retrospective

This film is about process, craft, community, and the realities behind the camera.

THE APPROACH

Reel Alberta is being produced as an independent, community-driven documentary.

The film combines:

• In-depth interviews with filmmakers, crew, performers, and industry voices

• Archival research and materials

• On-location filming across Alberta

• A narrative structure that prioritizes lived experience over institutional timelines

The goal is authenticity—letting the people who were there tell the story in their own words.

WHERE THE PROJECT IS NOW

Reel Alberta is currently in active production.

• Interviews are underway

• More conversations are scheduled across Alberta

• Archival research is ongoing

• Production is being funded through community support and independent fundraising

This is not a speculative project—it is happening now.

THE STAKES — WHY THIS STORY MATTERS NOW

Much of Alberta’s film history exists only in personal memory.

Many of the pioneers who helped build the province’s film and television culture are aging. Their experiences — the challenges, the breakthroughs, the early days when infrastructure barely existed — were never formally documented.

Once those voices are gone, those stories are gone with them.

Reel Alberta is a race against time.

This documentary aims to:

• Capture firsthand accounts before they disappear

• Preserve stories that were never written down

• Create an accessible historical record for future filmmakers, students, and audiences

This isn’t just about the past — it’s about ensuring that Alberta’s creative legacy has a future.

THE FILMMAKER

Reel Alberta is created and directed by Richard Cleveland, a lifelong storyteller with decades of experience in entertainment, broadcasting, and production across Canada.

From early work in music and live performance to radio, media production, and long-form storytelling, this project draws on a career spent inside creative industries — not looking in from the outside.

This film is deeply personal.

It’s a way of giving voice to colleagues, collaborators, and creatives whose contributions shaped an industry but were rarely celebrated.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Reel Alberta exists because of community support.

By supporting the film, you’re helping to:

• Fund production and travel

• Preserve stories that might otherwise be lost

• Ensure this history is recorded with care and integrity

This film belongs to Alberta — and to everyone who believes these stories matter.

Links to our crowdfunding are coming soon.