Langley-born Metis director Alexander Lasheras had an interest in filming since a young age.
First creating short movies with his brother on the family camera, he’d dress up in costumes and perform skits before taking a film studies class at Brookswood Secondary in his teenage years.
In his class, he studied and analyzed classic films from the 1980s and ’90s, the likes of ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Full Metal Jacket.’
“I think we had to get our parents permission that he was showing us some of these films,” Lasheras chuckled.
At university, he started his studies in philosophy and political science, but found himself drawn back to film after receiving a scholarship for one of his productions he made in high school.
Lasheras’s movie ideas were inspired by nature he saw growing up on his family’s farm on the Aldergrove border.
“Growing up here… you see a lot of strange and unusual things in nature – which can be unusual in itself. You hear chopping wood, or see some weird worms that you don’t normally see,” he shared.
Lasheras recalled seeing dragonfly exoskeleton for the first time and questioned its other-worldly appearance.
“I honestly thought we were getting invaded by aliens, obviously we weren’t… but those things just start making you question what’s out there.”
His newest film ‘The Beehive’ is a coming-of-age story following young Rosemary (played by Meadow Kingfisher) as she, similar to Lasheras, creates short films of beehives on her family’s rural farm.
Eventually she discovers a hive that’s not like the others, and visits it regularly to document its unusual growth – soon learning it isn’t what it seemed.
The characters explore themes of identity, loss, and must survive an alien invasion.
Arun Fryer, producer on the film, said the 20-acre farmland provided ample opportunity for filming various scenes.
“We utilized almost the entire property I think, from one end to the other,” he commented.
“It’s just a beautiful farm and forest, it’s cozy,” Lasheras said.
The private farm is owned and occupied by his parents, who vacated the space during the month of filming. Lasheras commented that it’s surreal to have a cast and crew on his childhood home.
“It’s really remarkable when you’re in your house you grew up in, but it doesn’t look at all like your house… it looks like a completely new place,” he said.
This was one of the team’s biggest challenges, Fryer said, to make the set look completely different.
‘The Beehive’ is the second film Lasheras and Fryer have done on the Langley farm, the first film released in 2016 called ‘Cadence.’
“Because we are filming in the same house and sometimes the same rooms. Just the way they decorated the kitchen, changing all the cupboard doors and colours, switching the tables… was a big deal on set,” Fryer explained.
He added that he was particularly excited for this film because special effects were made without computer generated images (CGI).
“It was so much fun for our actors and crew… some of them were quite young, and just having the practical alien creatures, it really elevated their performances and created a really fun atmosphere on set,” Fryer commented.
While Lasheras keeps coming back to the sci-fi genre, he said he plans to branch out one day to try something new.
The cast features up-and-coming Indigenous talent, filmed locally in Langley, and has received support from Creative BC, Indigenous Screen Office, and Canada Council for the Arts.
‘The Beehive’ had a special premiere at Rio Theatre last Friday, Nov. 17, which featured a Q&A with actors and producers.
The film is also showing at Toronto’s Revue Cinema on Friday, Nov. 24, Saturday, Nov. 25, and Monday, Nov. 27.
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