Special Release: Official Trailer for Wildflowers 🎥

In the footsteps of a trailblazer 🥾

It was over two years ago that I first introduced you to the remarkable story of Mary Schäffer Warren (1861-1939), who was 43 years old and recently widowed when she bucked Victorian-era conventions and reinvented herself as a mountain explorer, writer, and photographer. She is the subject of a documentary film called Wildflowers, for which I am a co-producer (alongside Trixie Pacis) and the on-camera writer/historian who offers a modern lens into Mary’s legacy. Thanks to many of you who contributed to our crowdfunding campaign, we were able to complete our post-production and are now in the process of festival screenings and distribution. Unreal!

Today, in celebration of the film’s premiere, we launched the Official Trailer:

Logline:

Mountain writer and historian Meghan J. Ward recruits a team of creative women to revisit Mary Schäffer Warren’s 1908 expedition to Maligne Lake, in Alberta’s Jasper National Park. Blending backcountry adventures with historical research, Wildflowers demonstrates that sometimes we must look back to blaze a better trail forward.  

This project was a four-year journey — equal parts joy, wonder, frustration, (some) angst and curiosity. Without being too cliché, the making of it was an adventure in itself. We were so fortunate to work with some of the best in the business (you’ll find the creative team listed below) and pull together a film that greatly exceeded anything we had imagined.

Re-tracing the last leg of Schäffer’s route over historic Maligne Pass, the women’s poetic adventure honours the hard bushwacking Schaffer did on the trail, and against the patriarchy. 

-Bob Covey, Mountain Life

I think I’m still processing the journey I’ve been on with this film, which has seen me wearing several hats throughout. But I loved the opportunity it gave me to toggle amongst my interests: donning white gloves to sort through archival materials, researching Mary’s story and the context around it (so much reading!), riding horseback into the backcountry, planning and embarking on a six-day hiking and paddling trip to follow Mary’s journey to Maligne Lake… so much of it was such a dream. Behind the scenes, I also encountered a very steep learning curve as I co-managed creative, logistical and financial aspects of the film’s production.

Now, Wildflowers film has reached its greatest milestone yet: a premiere at the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival this coming weekend (Nov 2, 10AM). We are thrilled to premiere the film at such a world-renowned festival. Of great significance is also the fact that Mary’s final resting place is just a stone’s throw from the theatre where it will be playing. Beyond the premiere, Wildflowers will also be playing at the Kendal Mountain Festival, Transylvania Mountain Festival, and SOAR Film Festival, with more coming down the pipes.

Wildflowers has been a process of trust. And even amidst tragedy and heartache, the film that rose from it all is a story we could never have written from the outset. The story is infused with a poignancy that continues to rock me, and I can't wait to share it with you.

It is a tribute to Natalie Gillis, friend, fellow cast member and expedition photographer, who was a wildflower in every way. 🌼

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WILDFLOWERS Cast and Creative Team

DIRECTOR Trixie Pacis
PRODUCERS Figment Films + Meghan J. Ward
EDITOR Eva Anandi Brownstein
CINEMATOGRAPHER Eva Anandi Brownstein
ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY Trixie Pacis + Jamie Wensley WRITER/RESEARCHER Meghan J. Ward
FEATURING Meghan J. Ward, Natalie Gillis, Jane Marshall, Lisa Shepherd, Janice Sanford Beck
VOICE OF MARY Rosalind Skye
ORIGINAL SCORE Trent Freeman
SKOKI UNIT Caroline Whyte, Sydney Scott, K.C. Scott, Timberline Tours
COLOURIST Evan Dux
SOUND MIXER Esther Gadd
MALIGNE MAP ARTISTS Lisa Shepherd + Kristi Bridgeman
MAP ANIMATOR Matt Brickman
IMAGE ANIMATOR Doug Urquhart, The upThink Lab
PHOTOGRAPHY Natalie Gillis, Paul Zizka and Whyte Museum

Associate Producers: Bruce D. Perry, J Douglas Ward, Meredith and Doug Ward, Paul and Eva Sylvestre 

With support from Birch Investment Group, Jolene’s Teahouse, Banff Lodging Co., Rocky Mountain Books, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance | Columbia Basin Trust

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IN THE MEDIA:

Mountain Life
Tribute to Iconic Rockies Trailblazer and Writer Debuting at BMFF

Jasper Fitzhugh
Short film revisits Mary Schaffer’s expedition to Maligne Lake

Find more coverage here.

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