UTOPIA PICTURES

Vancouver, B.C.
utopiapictures@gmail.com
www.utopiapictures.com



The Pathfinders
A light comedy adventure
STORY

pompous English travel writer and a down to earth
American test car driver set out from Halifax in 1912 to
be the first to drive across Canada and win the grand
prize. They face seemingly insurmountable obstacles as there is no
road. But by far the greatest obstacle turns out to be each other.



Its 1912 and there is no road that connects all of Canada. A
British Columbia politician thinks this is a national disgrace and
offers a prize to the first travelers to navigate the country by car.

Thomas Wilby, 45, a pompous English travel-writer takes up the
challenge. He persuades the Reo Motorcar Company to supply
him with a car and driver, Jack Haney, 23, a down-to-earth
American mechanical whiz. Wilby knows nothing about
automobiles, has a lousy sense of direction and significantly,
doesnt drive. But, at Halifax Harbour, Wilby demonstrates his
skill at self-promotion, filling a flask with Atlantic seawater, telling
the press he will upend it in the Pacific.

As Wilby needles the Yank, treating him like a servant and fails to
contribute anything tangible, Haneys ardour for the adventure
flags. Feuding escalates, danger too. Barriers to travel are barely
surmountable. Only Jacks ingenuity gets them through. Jack
realizes he should have taken his sweethearts advice and never set-
off. Wilbys doubts grow too. At Lake Superior there is no road.
The battered and dispirited Brit wants to quit. But both men dig
deep and continue battling nature, doubts, and each other. Jack
finds resources he never knew he had, and becomes a man. Wilby
trudges on, shamed by Haney, but gaining respect for him. Each
has their eyes on the prize, yet even when that seems to be slipping
away they still display a dogged determination to complete their
odyssey.
When the mountains of British Columbia appear, both men
briefly put away their enmity as they face life-threatening hazards.
But as the goal draws close, the spoils seemingly within reach,
greed raises its ugly head - suddenly its every man for himself.
Finally, months after the journey began the pathfinders drive their
car onto Kitsilano Beach. Wilby pours his flask of Atlantic
seawater into the Pacific. They have blazed a new path across this
country.

DEVELOPMENT
Final Draft. Development funding provided by Telefilm Canada,
The Harold Greenberg Fund and BC Film. Looking for co-
producers, distribution and financing. Entertainment One (eOne)
is interested in Canadian and International Disttribution rights.

UTOPIA BIO
Producer Elvira Lount and writer, director, producer Laurence
Keane are partners in Utopia Pictures, based in Vancouver,
B.C. which has several feature films in development.

Elvira produced the dramatic feature SAMUEL LOUNT, the
story of her ancestor, a leader of the Canadian Rebellion of
1837 who was hanged for treason. The film was produced in
association with the CBC and received five Genie nominations
(Canadian film awards). Elvira has produced over fifty
documentaries including the award winning BABY CLOCK.
She is a graduate of the University of London, England (BA
English, History and Philosophy) and has a background in all
aspects of the media, having graduated from the Media
Resources Program, Capilano College, North Vancouver.

Laurence was the director, writer and executive producer of
SAMUEL LOUNT and producer/writer/ editor of the sci-fi
musical comedy BIG MEAT EATER, distributed by New
Line Cinema in the US and Palace Pictures in the UK. BIG
MEAT EATER was hailed as one of the best pictures of the
year by British critics and has become an underground cult
classic. It was re-released on DVD by KOCH VISION of New
York. Laurence has written 16 screenplays and works as a story
editor. He has an MFA in Film Business and Production from
the University of Southern California School of Cinema in LA,
a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from the University
of British Columbia, and is a graduate of the Simon Fraser
University Film Workshop. He has produced, directed, written
and edited several short comedies and documentaries and worked
as a newspaper photographer and book editor. He began his
career in the 1970s, at the NFB and the CBC.

June 2014 News
Utopia Pictures Ltd.
www.utopiapictures.com

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