Faultline

Local suspense series joins the film world.

The pilot for Faultline, a dark thriller web series, premiered on February 4, 2018, at the Kensington Plaza Theatre.

The 6-part series follows three sisters who reconnect with each other to piece together a crime that took place fifteen years ago and ended in their mother’s arrest and suicide.

“To me, the series is really about the things that tear us apart as families, and how they can also bring us back together,” said Stacie Harrison, co-producer and lead actress playing Paige Tennant in the series.

Faultline, with Nathaniel Arcand and Corb Lund playing supporting characters, takes place in Calgary and involves a mine collapse which causes aftershocks in the sisters’ relationships with each other.

The parts are about 10 minutes long and each leads to a cliffhanger to keep the audience engaged as they themselves try to solve the mystery.

According to Kirsten Lankester, the show’s creator and writer, most web series are comedy or reality, while Faultline is a drama murder mystery, setting it apart from the others.

The film promotes inclusiveness for women in the film industry, with the producers, lead actresses, and much of the working crew themselves all being female. In the show, the three sisters are portrayed as strong female characters, causing the show itself to be women-centered.

Producing shows that promote women inclusiveness is Lankester’s main goal.

Lankester’s company, Any Road Productions, began in April, 2017. The company is dedicated to being inclusive and exciting, regardless of genre.

“There’s stories down any road,” said Lankester. “You just have to look for them.”

Any Road Productions partnered with Eric Durnford’s company Gutterball Productions to produce Faultline.

According to Durnford, due to scheduling adjustments, they managed to film Faultline and produce the finished product in only one month.

Durnford learned his skills at SAIT, graduating from the film and video production program in 2014.

“Having a consequence-free environment to learn and experiment with film-making was incredibly valuable,” said Durnford.

Durnford said SAIT students currently in the film and video production program would enjoy seeing Faultline, as it is the type of project that is a step above what SAIT students work on within the program. Students can see Faultline and get an idea of the type of projects they can realistically work on after their schooling.

Faultline received its funding from Storyhive, an initiative started to help shows get off the ground.

There were 215 show submissions within Alberta and BC, and only one from each province will receive further funding and mentorship for the remainder of the show’s season.

Faultline is 1 of the 15 in Alberta chosen to move on to the next step of the selection process.

From February 5 to February 9, the public will have the chance to view the pilots of all shows remaining in the selection process. Each day, people will be able to vote on Storyhive for who they want to win and receive the funding.