A film company has promised to repair a portion of the Log Train Trail near Port Alberni that was damaged during filming.
A Metafilms crew was filming The Stolen Child over the weekend of Oct. 19 when the region was hit with an atmospheric river event, including torrential rainfall and wind. Filming continued despite the weather.
A one-kilometre portion of the trail off of Maebelle Road was damaged by all-terrain vehicles, other film equipment, horses and crew members, said location manager Jane Victoria King. "It was the whole trail."
King, a Port Alberni resident, acknowledged the public's concern over the damage and made social media posts explaining the situation, apologizing and assuring restoration will be undertaken.
"As a result of weather and excessive wear and tear we are going to be doing extensive restoration," she said. "The producers are fully in support of putting it back to what it was."
"We are so sorry that the poor weather conditions...mixed with our filming activity that followed (on the) Monday impacted the Port Alberni community," said Metafilms productrice Catherine Boily. "We are very determined to fix the situation and restore the path, to make sure we leave no trace and that you can still enjoy your beautiful forest."
The Stolen Child is a fantasy epic directed by Sebastian McKinnon of Magic: The Gathering fame. As war ravages the Human Kingdom, a daring Poet must lead three mystical heroes deep into the Faerie State to find a lost prince, return him to the throne and restore peace.
The film is based on a poem by William Butler (W.B.) Yeats also titled The Stolen Child.
King said she was waiting for advice from Tseshaht First Nation elected Chief Councillor Wahmeesh Ken Watts on how best to restore the trail.
The Log Train Trail has many overseers, from the Province of B.C. to the City of Port Alberni and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District. The production crew had permission from the provincial government and Tseshaht First Nation to use the portion of the Log Train Trail off of Maebelle Road where filming took place.
The trail was one of several locations used. "We also filmed down by Rogers Creek and the producer and (film crew) love the area. The footage looks magical," King said.
The Stolen Child was being filmed in the Alberni Valley in the forest on Golden Street last week, said King, before heading to the Lower Mainland.
The Stolen Child was one of three movies to be filmed in the Alberni Valley in the past few months. McLean Mill National Historic Site was closed to the public for a few weeks to allow filming for One Mile and One More Mile from Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment.
