First-time B.C. filmmaker Goldie Smitlener racking up awards at age 69

As a teenager, Goldie Smitlener read a book that took her completely by storm.

Now, more than 50 years later, the New Westminster, B.C. grandmother has turned that story of forbidden love into an award-winning film — with no prior filmmaking experience.

"I said to myself, 'One day, one day I'm going to make the film out of this and tell the story to the world," Smitlener told CBC Vancouver News' Andrew Chang.

The book was Janko Matko's Moć Zemlje (The Power of Soil), based on a true story of star-crossed lovers in Smitlener's native Croatia.

The dream of making the book a film stayed with Smitlener throughout her life, but the 69-year-old wasn't able to make it a reality until recently.

She even wrote the first draft of the film's script shortly after coming to Canada at the age of 16.

Film shot in Croatia

Two years ago, Smitlener decided it was "either now or never" — she enlisted the help of her granddaughter, who stars in the film, and jumped headfirst into the project.

"When my granddaughter joined me on this journey, then it was set it stone," she said. "There was no backing off."

To shoot the film, she returned to her homeland. She credits her cast and crew for helping her learn the ropes of filmmaking along the way.

"Everything that happened, little step by little baby step, I had to learn," she said. "[But] I couldn't give up, because my personality is whatever you start, you have to finish to the best of your ability."

The resulting film, Stolen Path, is already gathering hype on the independent film festival circuit, racking up awards at seven festivals around the world — and counting.

Never too old (or young) to dream

Having finally made the movie, Smitlener's next task was to market it.

"When you tell them you're 70 years old and you've never made a movie before, it takes some talking for them to even look at you and look at the movie," she said.

"You know what? Marketing seems to be as hard as making it."

But, regardless of how daunting it may seem, she encouraged people young and old to act on their dreams.

"If you have a dream, do not wait for the right time to fulfil that dream, because the right time may never come," she said. "You have to go into it and have faith that you can do it."

"When you need help, help will come to you if you ask for it nicely."

With files from CBC Vancouver News at 6.