Portage is again playing host to Hollywood cameras

Starting March 14, 20th Century Fox film crews will be on Crescent Lake shooting scenes for a film called “The Impossible”.

The film will shoot for approximately 31 days in various locations around Winnipeg, Selkirk, and Portage la Prairie.

“Portage la Prairie is doubling as St. Louis, Missouri, with two days of shooting out on the ice on Crescent Lake (March 14 and 15),” says Vern May, Portage Regional Economic Development executive director, in an e-mail.

“This portion of the shoot was originally scheduled to take place later in March, however, with rapidly warming weather, producers made the decision to shoot the ice scenes sooner – and Portage la Prairie has been extremely accommodating in helping to make this happen,” explains May.

The Impossible is based on an incredible true story and follows John Smith (played by Marcel Ruiz), a 14-year-old boy in St. Louis, who after crashing into a frozen lake is pulled out after 15 minutes. John’s mother, Joyce (played by Chrissy Metz), fights for his life against all medical advice and wisdom, and in the moment of her deepest despair her anguished cry to God brings John back to life.

With injuries and permanent damage looming, Joyce is determined to protect her son and provide every opportunity to see him live. This heart-wrenching true story is about miracles, and the power of love. DeVon Franklin, producer of Miracles From Heaven is producing The Impossible. Roxann Dawson is directing.

“Last summer Portage played host to camera crews who turned the former Campbell Soup building into a set for the movie “Break My Heart a 1,000 Times”, said May. “There were many locals involved in that one as extras. There was a casting call that went out for extras for this week’s shoot.”

May has not heard of any other movie crews scouting Portage la Prairie and area, but they will be coming.

“One thing that’s really interesting about Portage is we’ve got a variety of areas that make us attractive to movie production companies. We’ve got vintage brick buildings for period pieces, scenery which isn’t typical for Manitoba in terms of our water features and it all adds up to being very attractive for a wide range of productions.”