Regina filmmaker documents his epic, fun-filled life in 10 mini movies

When Brian Stockton was just 11 years old, he got his hands on a his parents' 8-mm camera and, unbeknownst to him, he began filming the beginning of his movie The Epic Story of My Life in 10 Short Films.

The film took 16 years to make and covers off the bulk of Stockton's life, wrapping up in 2018. Along the way he takes the viewer on a humourous journey through his life, which is peppered with nostalgic, Canadiana elements and even an in-depth look at being a Gen X'er. 

Even though the movie itself really started in the 1970s, it didn't begin to take shape until the 1990s when Stockton was living in Toronto. He said his annual trips back to Saskatchewan just weren't enough.

"It was that homesickness that made me really think," he said, and the movie making began.

He watched all of his parents' home movies and photos. Working on the project was a way for him to stay connected with the province he called home and also to tell its stories. 

Stockton said some of his life highlights needed what he calls "dramatic recreations" and that is where some homegrown actors were needed. These "actors" were Stockton's two sons, which he said was easy because "they look exactly like me." As for working with family, Stockton said it "may not have been their favourite thing to do but it turned out all right."

If Stockton's name sounds familiar, it's because this isn't his first full length feature film. He's been making movies, documentaries and other ways to share prairie stories for years. One of his more noteable movies is the 2015 film The Sabbatical, which tells the tale of James Pittman, a burnt-out photography professor who goes on sabbatical and straight into a mid-life crisis. 

The series of movies, which is is now being screened at film festivals around the world, can be viewed Thursday at the Regina Public Library film theatre at 6:30 p.m. CST. They can also be watched on Vimeo.