Film shot in Manitoba scoops up award in Hollywood

‘The Long Walk,’ which was filed in Winnipeg in 2024, won the Robert Altman Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Hollywood.

A made-in-Manitoba movie nabbed a prestigious independent film award over the weekend.

“The Long Walk” was presented with the Robert Altman Award for “best ensemble cast, director and casting director of a film” at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Hollywood on Sunday evening.

“Today, we honour the director, casting director, and key cast of a film that stands as a contemporary embodiment of Altman’s cinematic vision,” actress Rebecca Hall, who presented the award, said during the ceremony.

The film, based on Stephen King’s 1979 novel, is set in a dystopian America ruled by a totalitarian regime. Fifty young men, each representing their home state, compete in an annual contest where they must keep walking at three miles per hour or face execution. The last contestant still walking wins.

The film adaptation was shot in summer 2024 at several locations around Manitoba, including Bird’s Hill Provincial Park, the Exchange District, St. Lazare, Stonewall and Garson.

“The Long Walk” was directed by Francis Lawrence, with a cast featuring Mark Hamill, Judy Greer, Cooper Hoffman, and David Jonsson.

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the collective and collaborative effort that it takes to make a movie,” Lawrence said during his acceptance speech. “I could not have made a movie without this cast.”

The Film Independent Spirit Awards presented the first Robert Altman Award in 2007 following the famed director’s death. Altman is best known for films including “Nashville,” “The Long Goodbye,” “Gosford Park,” and “Popeye.”

Previous Robert Altman Award-winning movies include “I’m Not There,” “Spotlight,” “Moonlight,” and “Marriage Story.”