Start with a cream sedan, a man leaning out the window and a city in 1972 that has clearly had a rough week. That still comes from Renegade Fever, a pilot that Calgary producer Monique Barrie put on screen, and it is a fun way into everything she has made.
According to the LHI Productions about page, Barrie is a director, writer, producer and philanthropist who founded the Calgary company to develop independent film and television. She has a growing focus on private financing and artist-led development, and the page says she wants to help original projects get from concept to screen.
The producing side
The page lists the Renegade Fever proof-of-concept pilot first. The project page calls it a 24-minute action comedy, with Barrie credited as executive producer and producer. It had its first screening at the Calgary Underground Film Festival, then played SeriesFest in the USA, and it won Best TV Series Pilot at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival. It was also nominated for three AMPIA Awards. We wrote about Barrie joining the Alberta Producer Accelerator too.
Then there is Immortal Embrace, a 24-minute vampire short that has played festivals including Blood in the Snow and FOGFEST. Barrie also serves as an executive producer on projects by emerging filmmakers.
Two documentaries
Lately she has moved into directing documentaries. Not In My City: The Paul Brandt Story runs 24 minutes and follows the country star as he speaks about what he found in his own backyard, and we covered its Golden Sheaf nomination at Yorkton. Her second short documentary, Legacy of a Butterfly, is a portrait of Calgary entrepreneur Diana Monea, which went on to screen at the Calgary International Film Festival.
LHI says it has a full slate of features, series and documentaries in development. Put the LHI Productions page in your bookmarks and see what turns up next.
If this one hooked you, we think Wynonna Earp Made Calgary Its Home Base and LHI Productions films collect 11 Rosie Award nominations are a good next read.
Quick answers
Monique Barrie is a Calgary director, writer, producer and philanthropist who founded LHI Productions. The company develops and produces independent film and television, according to the LHI Productions about page, with a focus on artist-led projects and original storytelling.
The LHI Productions about page lists the Renegade Fever proof-of-concept pilot, narrative shorts including Immortal Embrace, and short documentaries. Its most recent documentaries are Not In My City: The Paul Brandt Story and Legacy of a Butterfly, both directed by Monique Barrie.
Renegade Fever had its first screening at the Calgary Underground Film Festival, then played SeriesFest in the USA. The LHI project page says it won Best TV Series Pilot at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival and earned three AMPIA Award nominations.
Sources: LHI Productions, About LHI; LHI Productions, Renegade Fever.
