The Long Road, a film by Red Deer College instructor and filmmaker Lori Ravensborg, will have its premiere screening at the college on Saturday.
The idea for the 27-minute movie came to Ravensborg from something her mother said to her while she was chopping broccoli. She randomly told Ravensborg she should just “let her go” if she ever became incapacitated.
“The statement caused a lot of thought. How would my family, or any family deal with that? How would children of a parent deal with that wish? What kind of difficult decisions would it place on a spouse?” said Ravensborg.
She began writing a script for the film, which Ravensborg eventually directed and produced as part of her master’s thesis from Australia’s Charles Sturt University. (She graduated from the facility last fall.)
The Long Road, starring local actor John Treleaven, tackles the end-of-life choices people can face, and how these decisions can unite families or tear them apart.
The plot concerns an Alberta farmer who tragically loses his wife of 41 years. As their children gather at the family home, they bring not only grief, but emotional baggage as well.
The public is invited to the free screening at 7 p.m. in the Margaret Parsons Theatre. It will be followed by a casual reception with a cash bar.
The Long Road was made with assistance from local cinematographer Don Armstrong and production manager James Wilson, who are both also RDC instructors.
It also had support from the college, the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, and the Women in Film and Television, Alberta Chapter.