Experiencing Interruptions?

Rendering Visions

In a remote northern Canadian community a bold thought experiment for the Future of the Arts unfolds: How can art survive in the oil sands?
Through a series of interviews, artists from the future will learn about the diversity of artists today throughout Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo as they share their dreams for the future of “Arts Inc.”, an incubator to develop and support artists.

  • Ashley Laurenson
    Director
  • Steve Reeve
    Producer
  • Matt Salem
    Producer
  • Tito Guillen
    Producer
  • Ashley Laurenson
    Producer
  • Ashley Laurenson
    Key Cast
  • Liana Wheeldon
    Key Cast
  • Hanna Fridhed
    Key Cast
  • Renee Manners
    Key Cast
  • Stacey Grant
    Key Cast
  • Meagan Magson
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 3 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 31, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    40,000 CAD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Ashley Laurenson

Ashley Laurenson is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist whose vibrant body of work spans film, theatre, and new media. Originally from Whangārei, New Zealand, and now based in Alberta, Canada, Ashley brings nearly two decades of creative leadership to the screen and stage. Her artistic voice blends playful ingenuity with a sharp eye for detail - honed through years of experience in costume design, production design, special effects, and intimacy direction.

Ashley is one of the creative forces behind Miles Behind: A Spider-Man Fan Film (Winner, Best Social Justice Film – Vancouver Independent Film Festival; Finalist, RED Movie Awards), and the cult-hit Nerdvana: The Web Series (Winner, Best Ensemble Cast – Miami Web Fest). Her work often explores identity, nostalgia, and transformation through a genre-blurring lens. She is also a celebrated collaborator, having earned recognition at the Wood Buffalo Excellence in Arts Awards in multiple categories including Visual Arts, Craft, and Media.

A proud co-founder of M’Guphynn Media, Ashley balances technical prowess with a heart-forward approach to storytelling, cultivating inclusive spaces on set and backstage. Her directorial vision is rooted in care, community, and curiosity - whether she’s crafting superhero mythologies, re-imagining classic theatre, or mentoring emerging artists.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

What do artists need?

This question has been on my mind for years - especially while living and creating in a place like Fort McMurray, Alberta, where the arts often exist in the shadow of industry. Rendering Visions began as a thought experiment: if artists of the future were to look back at us now, at a turning point in our region’s arts sector, what would they see?

Through interviews with a diverse range of local creators, I sought to build an archive - not just of art, but of imagination, hope, and resilience. The film blends documentary and speculative storytelling, positioning these voices as transmissions from the past into an imagined future where creativity itself becomes an act of preservation. It also explores how these perspectives might shape the next chapter of the arts in Fort McMurray through the proposed Arts Incubator project, led by Arts Council Wood Buffalo.

Ultimately, Rendering Visions is about more than Fort McMurray. It’s about every artist, everywhere, striving to build connection and meaning amid uncertainty. It invites us to reconsider how we support creative life - and how, through community and imagination, we might render a different vision for the future of the arts.