A wartime film shot in the North Okanagan will make its Canadian debut at the Vernon Towne Cinema next week, just in time for Remembrance Day.
Recon is the latest film produced by Enderby Entertainment, co-founded by local producer Rick Dugdale. Two showings will be aired at the downtown theatre at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., Nov. 10.
“My grandfather fought in the war, and I always envisioned one day making a story about the Second World War,” Dugdale said.
The film stars Canadian-born actor Alexander Ludwig of Bad Boys and The Hunger Games fame, Franco Nero (Django Unchained), with Academy Award-winning director Robert Port at the helm.
“Looking at Rob’s adaptation and the vision that he wanted to make was very much in line with the story I wanted to tell,” Dugdale said.
Based on a true story and a New York Times best-selling book, Recon centres around four young men stationed in Italy in the midst of war. The action occurs over the course of one long day as they debate both their fates and that of life itself. As they struggle to make it off the mountain alive, the American soldiers face the worst that war can offer. Through this, each finds his own peace.
Dugdale helped get the production off the ground in B.C. The film was shot in the winter in the Vernon and Enderby areas, depicting the severe weather conditions soldiers endured in Europe during the war.
Author Richard Bausch said he’s thrilled to see his book come to life on screen.
“I think it’s a stunning piece of work,” he said. “Every single frame of it is beautiful, I could not have been happier. There are sections of it where I think it’s going beyond the book.”
Distributor Vortex Media will contribute its profits from the Nov. 10 screenings to the Vernon Legion.
“We are proud to partner with Brainstorm Media and Enderby Entertainment to bring this important film to Canadian audiences in time for Remembrance Day,” said Rob Harrison of Vortex Media. “We don’t want to forget all the veterans who served. Recon is a great way to honour their bravery at this time of year.”
Enderby Entertainment has produced 18 feature films over the past 13 years, including Blackway (2015) starring Anthony Hopkins. Earlier this year the company completed its Intrigo trilogy — three-films shot in succession based on Swedish author Hakan Nesser’s novels. The first, Intrigo: Death of an Author, starring Sir Ben Kingsley, was released Jan. 17.
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