Joe McWilliams
For South Peace News
There’s no broadcast date yet for a TV series called The Nation.
But filming was done at Cold Lake First Nation in May 2023, according to Mason McConnell, who emailed The Slave Lake Lakeside Leader last week on behalf of the show’s creator, director and producer, Aaron J. Sorensen.
“We’re just finalizing some post-production decisions at the moment,” McConnell said, “and are expecting to have the series locked in the next month, after which we will be looking into a distribution plan.”
The local angle on this show is Sorensen himself, who lived in Wabasca back in the 1990s. It was there he gathered much of the material that went into his first feature film, Hank Williams First Nation. He followed that up with Guitar Lessons, which was shown in movie theatres in the area back in 2022. It was set in the High Level area, and featured Alberta country singer Corb Lund in a lead role, along with Conway Kootenay.
There’s not a lot of information online about The Nation, and what there is does not paint a very positive picture. A May 26, 2023 news story in Lakeland Connect, by Jena Colbourne, reports that Kootenay was “stepping away” from his role in the series, due to allegations of sexual harassment that had been made by another actor on the set.
“In a Facebook video, the actor/comedian states the reason for his departure is due to producer/director Aaron Sorenson’s refusal to leave the project,” says the Connect story.
But, apparently, the filming was completed, and Kootenay is in it. In the credits before the pilot, he’s also listed as a co-writer, along with Sorensen, who also has an acting role in the series.
In the meantime, McConnell says, “Aaron’s currently working on a script for a new feature film.”
The reason The Nation ended up being shot at Cold Lake First Nation is likely because chief and council there invested some money in the project. In January 2023, Sorensen approached the council of the M.D. of Opportunity in Wabasca, asking for a $250,000 contribution.
“Most communities pay to have a big show come shoot there,” he told council in a letter. He may or may not have made a similar pitch to the Bigstone Cree Nation.
“Wabasca turned us down, so we went with Cold Lake,” Sorensen said, in an email to McConnell that is appended to McConnell’s email to The Leader. Sorensen also asked McConnell to pass on a link to the pilot for The Nation.
It is done in comedic ‘mockumentary’ style, with the characters speaking to the camera, as well as to each other. Kootenay plays Chief Chuck, of the Deep Lake First Nation, with Sorensen himself (as Aaron James) showing up as the local peace officer. Other main characters are band office employees, played by Kelly Orr (the chief’s sister) and Kristen Minoose (the chief’s cousin) and a security officer, played by Brett Mooswa. Mia Dixon is another actor named in the opening credits