Behind the camera
Mark Wihak Writer Director Producer
Mark Wihak is a filmmaker from Treaty 4 territory in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Over the course of a career spanning two centuries, he’s curated a series of unflattering hairdos and made films that range from feature-length and short dramatic work, to broadcast documentaries, to experimental films, to film-based installation. His first short dramatic film The Ballad of Don Quinn was cited by Cinemascope magazine as "one of the top ten Canadian short films of the 1990s". His experimental documentary (stories from) the Land of Cain won the short film prize at the Vancouver International Film Festival, and his short dramatic films Ecstasy and Autoerotica were invited to festivals in Canada, the U.S.A, Europe and Australia and broadcast on the CBC in Canada. He directed two broadcast documentaries on important developments in the Canadian art world: A World Away (Stories from the Regina Five) and Between the North Pole & New York City, which was shot in Canada, the U.S., England, and Mexico. His debut feature film River won seven awards at festivals in Canada and the U.S. He is a faculty member in the Department of Film at the University of Regina, and claims to have been the first person in southern Saskatchewan to own a pair of Nike basketball shoes.
Jeremy Ratzlaff Director of Photography
An opportunity at age 22 to make a short video with Atom Egoyan for CBC Arts is what Jeremy Ratzlaff has to thank for allowing him to cross paths with Mark Wihak, who took a chance on this young, aspiring cinematographer and hired him for his first longer-form project. Since then, Jeremy has enthusiastically been pursuing his passion, adding three more feature film credits and dozens of shorts, music videos and commercials. His own short film By Faith, Denis won the Audience Choice award at the Saskatchewan Independent Film Awards in 2021. As a cinematographer, he is especially drawn to working alongside the visions of female & IBPoC directors, as well as with art galleries and traditional artists. You can learn more about Jeremy and his work at Lampblack Studios and IMDB
Wanda Schmöckel Picture Editor
Wanda Schmöckel is a writer and filmmaker. Her editing credits include the Saskatchewan-made feature film River, the Golden Sheaf Award winning documentary Relativity, and the television series Corner Gas, for which she won a Gemini Award in 2008.
Ian Campbell Lighting Designer
Ian Campbell is a filmmaker and multimedia artist who works in video, installation and performance art. His short films have been screened across Canada at film and experimental media festivals such as Festival Du Nouveau Cinema (Montreal), WNDX (Winnipeg), Antimatter (Victoria), and The International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (Germany). He has presented performance work using live improvised projected video at artist run centres and performance venues across western Canada. He is currently based in Saskatchewan (Treaty 4) where he teaches film at the University of Regina. You can see more of Ian’s work at Inkocus
David Roman Sound Designer
David Roman is an audio engineer and composer originally from Weyburn, SK. He is the founder of Roman Empire Studios and has over a decade of experience composing, recording, mixing, and sound designing. David has worked on several award-winning films and his audio work has screened at many international festivals. He has also worked on several commercials, social media videos, podcasts and television series. His experience in the film industry is coupled with a background as a university-graduated Social Worker, which gives David a unique creative perspective that focuses on empathy and the psychology of artists and characters. It’s no surprise that David tends to gravitate towards projects with a social conscience. His audio and music work can be heard in films such as; Gas Can , ahkameyimo nitanis/Keep Going My Daughter, Talent, Orthodoxed, and The Cage. David has also worked with local and national ad agencies to complete work for clients such as Sasktel, Sask Power, Sask Energy, Access Communications, SGI, GMC, Michelin, First Nations University, Waypoint Insurance, Mazer Group, Farm Credit Canada, Lululemon, and the City of Regina. www.romanempirestudios.com
e. dulanowsky Composer
e. dulanowsky is Ernie Dulanowsky, an electronic sound composer, performer and erstwhile DJ using homemade and commercial non-keyboard electronics to create ambient drone and noise pieces. His work is informed by the sounds found at the intersection of office building ambience, electromagnetic emanations, and broken media transmissions. Some of his work can be found at pulsewidth bandcamp and pulsewidthsoundcloud
Stephanie Proulx Production Manager
Stephanie Proulx notoriously wears multiple hats. She graduated with a BFA from the University of Regina’s Film Program in 2016 and has worked on various film sets in the province. Her past titles include production assistant, catering coordinator, craft services, film festival coordinator, world-record coordinator, production coordinator, production manager, and even a two-day stint as a grip.With a passion for travel and adventure, she took a hiatus from the film world to pursue long-term travel, booking a one-way ticket to Mexico in early 2020 .(Spoiler alert: she was forced to cancel the flight.) Since then, she shifted her focus to developing a career in freelance writing – a career she is passionate about and can do from anywhere in the world (when the world is ready again). She currently works part-time with Creative Saskatchewan as their Soundstage and Locations Coordinator.
Morgan Kelly Assistant Camera
Morgan Kelly is a Saskatchewan-based filmmaker and a graduate of the BFA in Film Production program at the University of Regina. She currently works as the Community Services Manager for Southeast Regional Library and fits film and media into her work wherever she can.
Adrienne Adams Swing
Adrienne (Sunny) Adams holds a BFA in film and has functioned in all manner of production. Her role as associate producer & wardrobe design on the feature-length comedy The Sabbatical (2015) is her most celebrated film accomplishment to date, having had its world premiere at the Whistler Film Festival as well as multiple worldwide screenings. She has created music videos for musicians such as Kacy & Clayton, Natural Sympathies, Wolf Willow, The Steves, Library Voices, Marshall Burns, Rah Rah, We Were Lovers, The Lambta Das, Radville, and has worked with American novelist Annalee Newitz and Canadian artist Bill Burns. In 2022, she completed education to launch a career as a prosthetics technician, a field in which she feels she's found a perfect niche for her hand skills and yearning for practical artistry. She works for the Saskatchewan Health Authority in Regina, SK.
Meagan Krett Graphic Artist
Meagan Krett created Lucy’s drawings for Resting Potential. Meagan is a multidisciplinary visual artist from Regina, Saskatchewan working in both digital and traditional mediums. You can see more of her work at The Horse Charles
Kyle Parkinson Sound Editor
Kyle Parkinson (BFA) is an audio engineer specializing in location sound mixing and post-production sound design. He received his Bachelor of Fine Art for Film and Video Production from the University of Regina in 2015. At the beginning of 2022 Kyle partnered with David Roman to help operate Roman Empire Studios where he is the Director of Location Audio. Kyle has been working professionally in the Regina area for the past 7 years working on short films, television series, commercials and feature films. Some of his notable location audio credits include; Humboldt: The New Season (2019), Mercy (2020/II), Out Standing on His Field (2022) and the upcoming TV series Guardians of the North. Kyle has worked on many different types of productions, from run-and-gun TV shows to large scale commercials and feature films, giving him a broad knowledge of what is needed to get the best audio in any situation.
Laura Psotka Foley Artist
Laura Psotka is in her final year of study in the Department of Film at the University of Regina, where he serves as secretary for the Film Student's Association. Over the past six years, Laura has been working on local short films all over Saskatchewan. She enjoys all aspects of sound including location sound recording, sound editing, voice acting, and foley work. She has a background in music with a focus on piano and regularly incorporates her knowledge of music into her work.