Made redundant because of artificial intelligence, evicted and now living in her car, a single woman in her fifties finds support from a group of seniors in Langford – this actually is the premise for a short film, set in the near future, readying itself to shoot in the city next spring.
Behind the film ‘Senior Discount’, described as a short comedy about growing old in a small town, are friends Jessica Ruth Freedman, an executive producer living in Sooke, and Amy King, writer, director, originally from Langford.
Funded by Telus Storyhive and Creative BC, the film is inspired by King’s experience of moving back to Greater Victoria after the COVID-19 pandemic. Plans for the film began after the pair met in an acting class.
"We were commenting at the time on how inflation and the cost of living has just been climbing since the pandemic," said Freedman. "We both have senior parents, and we know how difficult it's becoming for people, even of our age in our forties, and younger, to afford housing."
Pre-production of the film has begun, with the pair filming bonus content, interviewing seniors who have retired or are on the cusp of retiring. They are also speaking to young people and financial planners on the topic of growing old in a small town.
Freedman says the material may be added to the movie, or shown alongside it.
“There's some interesting contrasts,” said Freedman. “There are people who've been saving for retirement since their twenties, versus people who are like, ‘Oh, crap, I gotta figure out how to retire now’.”
There are also plans to launch a public survey, to allow the local community to voice their concerns and comments about retirement, inflation and the cost of living.
Shooting of ‘Senior Discount’ is expected to begin in the spring of 2025, with Langford and parts of Sooke earmarked as filming locations.
The duo is 100 per cent committed to hiring cast and crew from Vancouver Island, says Freedman, who adds there will be opportunities for people interested in the film industry to volunteer.
“Production in the film and TV industry is down about 45 per cent after the recent actor and crew strikes. So the industry is really suffering,” said Freedman, who hopes the short film will provide a welcome boost for Vancouver Island.
Once completed, the film will be screened locally in 2025 and on YouTube. Freedman also plans to submit ‘Senior Discount’ to film festivals and has hopes it will be picked up for wider distribution.
“It’s our goal together to create Canadian and specifically local content, because we have great stories that could be sold all over the world,” she said.
To follow the progress of the film, visit the Senior Discount Instagram page: instagram.com/seniordiscountfilm.
