Recommended Reading

BIG SCREEN COUNTRY: MAKING MOVIES IN ALBERTA
by Bill Marsden

(Fifth House $27.95)

Big Screen Country is not only a heartwarming memoir by former Alberta film commissioner Bill Marsden, it is also a must-have document on the Alberta film industry. Marsden, who began behind the camera, then became a producer, and finally was the man who was Alberta's first contact with the Hollywood and British studios, tells a delightful story. His years as film commissioner put him in touch with some of the great names in international film, as he sold Alberta as a location for features like The Unforgiven. Marsden, one of the most loved personalities in the Alberta motion picture industry, and one of the founders of the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association tells anecdotes that are always kind, never nasty, and a great insight into the history of Alberta film.

The book has loads of great black and white photos, and a filmography at the back with credits for most films shot in Alberta over the past three decades. Recommended for film studies students, film buffs, and biography addict