Kelowna filmmaker Carey Missler says he owes his first ever movie award to the namesake of his now award-winning documentary The Paddler Movie.
Missler's film, which explores the topic of water conservation through the eyes of Kelowna stand up paddler Bob Purdy, was given an award of excellence by the Canadian International Film Festival. Missler and Purdy will attend the festival in April in Vancouver to claim the award.
"It's amazing, now that the movie is done I keep getting surprised by the feedback I'm getting and now we've won this award," said Missler. "I credit this whole award to Bob. I was just the guy behind the scenes putting the story together. He is an amazing guy and his actions should be credited."
For more than four years (over 1,500 days now) Purdy has been stand up paddling each and every day in a movement he started called Paddle for the Planet, attempting to raise awareness about people's impacts on the environment.
Missler documented Purdy's journey and brought together other environmental activists and people who use or are concerned about the way people live on the planet with his movie. It debuted in Kelowna at the Kelowna Community Theatre in February to a standing ovation from the crowd of some 400 people and Missler is now promoting it to film festivals before deciding on a distribution deal.
"What we are doing now is building the movie up, trying to get it out into film festivals before we send it out for distribution," said Missler. "The more people see it, the more word gets around. We don't have a marketing budget but all the press and people sharing it on Facebook is really helping."
So far Missler and Purdy will screen the movie in Tofino one of the key locations for the film and it will also be shown at the World Community Travelling Film festival which will be held at Okanagan College March 12 to 15. Missler and Purdy have also been asked to talk at UBC Okanagan's World Water Day event, set for March 22.
Missler said the movie is resonating with people who see it and share a love of the planet.
"It's about environment and water and taking precautions," he said. "It's not harping on people just showing them the awareness of what's being done to the environment and what Bob is trying to do with paddling every day."
Find out more on Facebook by searching The Paddler Movie.