First-time filmmakers need help to produce a thriller about the Rideau Canal

  ](http://www.flickr.com/photos/lazyartist/6906119048/)

I received this note recently from Steve Wilson, one of a group of independent filmmakers who are producing a movie about the Rideau Canal.

The Canal is an independently produced movie, that will be filiming in the Ottawa area starting in July of this year. Set along the picturesque Rideau Canal, and the green spaces in the area, it is the story of five people who go out to explore the beauty of Eastern Ontario, but end up encountering something sinister, making a leisurely trip turn into a race for survival.

The movie is being directed by first time director Steven Wilson, and written by Steven Wilson, Robin Baldwin, and Kat Gracie. The story does involve legends and ghost stories that have been told for years concerning the Rideau Canal (that's where the sinister forces come from). Utmost attention has been paid in the script to ensure that the towns, and setting, are shown in the most positive light.

At this point, the producers are looking for funding assistance, to ensure that all permits, and insurance fees can be covered for the production of the movie. They are using crowdfunding such as Rocket Hub, and [ Go Fund Me ](http://www.gofundme.com/thecanalmovie) to raise the money, as well as contributing out of their own pockets. While a lot of feature films in Ontario are made with assistance through grants and loans from the government, first time filmmakers or movies with budgets of under $250,000 are shut out of the process, so we are having to go this route.

We are also documenting the entire process, via Twitter ( [ @TheCanalMovie ](http://twitter.com/TheCanalMovie) ), and facebook ( [ www.facebook.com/TheCanalMovie ](http://www.facebook.com/TheCanalMovie) ), Please follow on Twitter, give our Facebook page a like (the more likes, the better we can show a distributor that people at least want to see the movie) and if you can, help us out through our crowdfunding sites.

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** See also: ** Ottawa Movies Guide

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