There are few films that have been shot on the Last Frontier. John Carpenter’s sci-fi horror “The Thing” may come to mind, although it was only partially filmed in the state. “The Frozen Ground,” which stars Nicolas Cage, was also shot here.
But a new small-budget film, currently in its pre-production stages, was specifically written to be filmed in the state. Aaron Gordon lives on the Kenai Peninsula, and is the writer and director behind the project.
“One of our biggest strengths here is all of our beautiful scenery in our backyard,” he said. “There’s so many films made around the country and around the world that have to travel to New Zealand to get epic shots, or they make their mountains out of CGI. I can step out my backdoor and have epic mountains at my fingertips.”
The film, titled “Chasing Rainbows,” is a fantasy story about a teenage girl who is accidentally transported to a strange land full of unusual characters and mysteries. The main character is headstrong yet optimistic, and learns how to be content in not knowing all of life’s questions. It’s based on a book, also written by Gordon, with the same name.
“If you think of the rainbows as kind of a bridge to another world, and each time a character crosses the bridge there’s a series of alternate worlds, per se,” Gordon said. “The characters are kind of exploring, they don’t really know where they’re going to end up.”
While he’s not yet committed to filming locations, Gordon says he anticipates many of them will be on the Kenai Peninsula. The film’s projected shoot dates will be in early July and at the end of August.
“I’m hoping to capture both color schemes in Alaska,” Gordon said. “I have some summer scenes, and I want some fall colors.”
The project, which is several years in the making, is spearheaded by Final Spark, a Kenai Peninsula-based film group. Gordon is part of the organization and says it’s the group’s first attempt at a feature film. Although “Chasing Rainbows” won’t hit the screens for a year or two, he says the project has seen huge community support.
“Ever since I was young, my goal was to make feature films,” Gordon said. “I’ve been making shorter, smaller-scale productions my entire life. This is a big leap for me, and I think my team and I are ready for it, and hopefully this will be the first of many productions.”
Gordon, who has made hundreds of short films over the years, says some roles in “Chasing Rainbows” were written with specific actors in mind. Many more are still open to interested actors. The production team will have open auditions at the Kenai Performers space, behind Subway on K-Beach Road, April 1-3.
The group is also looking for help in finding potential filming locations, animal actors and more. For more information about “Chasing Rainbows” or to get involved, visit Final Spark’s Facebook page.
