Okanagan filmmakers’ documentary now streaming on Amazon, Tubi

When the world shut down in an effort to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, a mother-daughter duo found inspiration.

Wendy McAlpine and her daughter Renee Braun came up with a unique way to support local business owners by including them in a documentary called When Life Gives You a Pandemic.

“During the pandemic, we were poised to start a new part of our business but that all fell apart, so we were wondering what were the other artisans doing and how were they doing, are they suffering like we are or are they having to pivot and do something totally different with their skill set,” said McAlpine, the producer.

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The three entrepreneurs chosen are Nikki Litowski, an artist; Scott Moran, the Kelowna Forager, who is passionate about foraging for local delicacies, like rosehip and morel mushrooms; and Jennifer Dirks Krezan, a beekeeper and founder of Hiveology.

“Our people, our community, our artisans are just miraculous,” McAlpine said.

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“Each one of them in the film said that had it not been for the pressure of the pandemic; the economic pressure and the social pressure and the inability to do things how they do as usual, they created something they never thought they could have created.”

In their mission to highlight local entrepreneurs as they navigate a pandemic, the filmmaking duo has gone international.

The film has been accepted in 21 international film festivals and has won multiple awards.

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“We sent our film to a bunch of film festivals and we have won over nine awards across the world and now it’s been on streaming sites like Amazon,” said Braun, the director.

“I really just wanted to tell the story and I wasn’t expecting the success really but I think it’s a testament to their stories and everyone wants a story that people can rally behind.”

Now that the pandemic is over, the director and producer hope that they can help people have a different perspective when reflecting on that time in history.

“I think definitely people have reactions of, ‘Oh, it’s the pandemic, we don’t want to think about that,'” Braun said. “So how we really reframe the pandemic is, ‘OK, so this changed us, but how did it change for the better?”

When Life Hands You a Pandemic is now streaming on Amazon Prime in the U.S. and U.K. as well as on Tubi in Canada.