The Grasslands Project is a 2016 series of 10 short documentary films about small rural communities insouthern Alberta andSaskatchewan, directed by Scott Parker and produced byDavid Christensen for theNational Film Board of Canada (NFB).
Christensen, head of the NFB's Northwest Studio in Edmonton, had developed the idea for a series of short films that would tell the stories of small communities in Canada's southern Prairie grasslands. To direct the project, he hired Alberta filmmaker Scott Parker, with whom he had previously worked on the NFB'sStories from Our Land project.[1] In February 2015, Christensen and Parker travelled to rural communities for a series of 10 public meetings to identify the key themes and concerns of local residents.[2][3]
Parker stated in May 2016 interview that he worked every day for six or seven months, shooting, travelling as well as editing. On one occasion, he made an 800-kilometre round trip to screen one of the films for a participant. Altogether, he calculated that he travelled 30,000 km. in the summer of 2015 to complete the films.[1]
The Alberta films were shot in or nearbyCoutts,Magrath andForemost. Saskatchewan’s locations wereEastend,Val Marie,Gravelbourg,Wood Mountain,Rockglen—as well asRadville, for the short filmGenerations, about the passing on of a family farm in nearbyCeylon, Saskatchewan.[1][2][4]
From May 6 to 14, 2016, the films had their world premieres in the communities where they were filmed.[7]