Filmmaker Jeff Kopas has just wrapped up his latest feature film, The Bequest. It tells the story of a woman in her twenties who returns to her family’s fly-in hunting and fishing lodge to assist her siblings with their dying father. On arriving she gets suspicious of a plot against her.
In order to achieve the correct aesthetic of the film, Jeff found a hunting and fishing lodge located amongst the Georgian Bay Islands in Ontario. The Fall colors provided an amazing backdrop.
In addition to discussing the film with director/writer Jeff Kopas, I was also fortunate enough to talk to actor Ken Mitchell. Jeff and Ken met years ago at Camp Kilcoo. It’s where Ken caught the acting bug while performing in a play. Jeff developed a passion for filmmaking and Ken moved to L.A. for more opportunity. They always said they wanted to make a film together … and now they have.
Jeff co-wrote The Bequest with Doug Taylor. He expressed how positive the experience was and that he intends to co-write more projects.
The story deals with regressed childhood trauma. On an isolated island, it proves to be an interesting stage for revisiting issues long kept buried.
Jeff Kopas kept the story interesting and the actors challenged with a scene that covers Gil Bellows in thousand of bees and a frigid underwater scene with actress Shenae Grimes. A helicopter was on standby in the event something went wrong. Thankfully, it stayed grounded.
(Courtesy photos)
