Updated at 5:11 p.m. on March 15
 
When he wasn't on The Frozen set, Adam Beach was eager to take in all Sudbury has to offer.
The Winnipeg-based actor said he enjoyed going to the casino at Sudbury Downs, nightlife at SRO Night Club, dinner at “that Buddha place,” and even took in a movie at Silver City. His favourite experience in the city, however, was stopping by Comics North.
He said he must have spent at least $150 in the local shop.
“Sudbury has everything you want,” Beach said with a laugh. “As long as there is a comic book store, it's home.”
Of course, it's not the comics that brought him to town. Instead, it was the opportunity to play a Cree trapper in the Sony sci-fi thriller The Frozen.
The film is a “father-son story,” where Beach's character teams up with Dominic Purcell's (you might remember him from TV's Prison Break) character to hunt down three “genetic freaks.”
“My character is the son of one of these guys, who actually raped my mother in the movie,” Purcell said. “I'm half-genetic freak.”
The two heroes trek through the Northern landscape, showcasing its beauty along the way, as they try to keep everyone from genetic freak-induced harm.
Actors Dominic Purcell, left, and Adam Beach, both of whom star in The Frozen, the latest production being filmed in Sudbury, speak to Northern Life following a press conference where Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci announced $1 million in funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. Photo by Arron Pickard.
A number of scenes were shot in “stunningly beautiful” Whitefish, Gunnarsson said. Slag heaps took the place of the snow-covered tundra, and it was easy to find the “frontier industrial town” look within the city limits.
The characters travel through the expansive North, across the tundra to the tree line before the movie's climax at the Sudbury airport, where the three strange characters try to make their getaway.
Since the movie is set in Northern Canada, it made sense to film it in Northern Ontario.
“This is a good film for Sudbury because it lives here organically,” Gunnarsson said.
While support from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to the tune of $1 million made it that much more appealing, Gunnarsson said the primary reason The Frozen came to Sudbury was “because it makes sense.”
“You have to go places where the film lives organically,” he said.
Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci announced the NOHFC funds for the film project on March 15.
“I am very pleased that our support is helping bring another film production project to Sudbury and creating important job opportunities within this growing economic sector,” he said.
The Frozen employed 60 local people for jobs behind the scenes.
“We are very proud to be able to play host to a movie with the scope and size of The Frozen, and the talent level that larger production brings with it,” said David Anselmo, Northern co-producer of the film and CEO of Hideaway Pictures.
“This offers a tremendous learning opportunity to our Northern crew members, all the while providing a significant boost to the local economy.”
While there was a considerable amount of talent coming in for the production, Gunnarsson said he was quite happy with the Northern crew.
“Truthfully, I didn't really notice a difference between the Northerners and everyone else,” he said.
Christine Rochon worked as a production assistant throughout The Frozen. In her daily work, she was responsible for helping “make everyone's day as smooth as possible.” It was her second time working on a film project in Sudbury, and something she'd like to continue exploring.
While she may not have years of experience, she certainly has the right attitude.
Like most people from Sudbury, she brings “fresh blood and new energy” to the production. She is still “really gung-ho about the experience.”
She is convinced that if more big-city crews travelled North, they'd be pleasantly surprised by what they found.
“It's an exciting time in Sudbury, and the entertainment industry is only one of those things,” she said.
 
Original story
 
The sci-fi action flick The Frozen, currently being shot in the Sudbury area, received a financial boost today with $1-million investment from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC).
“I am very pleased that our support is helping bring another film production project to Sudbury and creating important job opportunities within this growing economic sector,” said Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci. “I congratulate Northern Ontario Film Studios for again being a central location for the local shoot.”
“We are very proud to be able to play host to a movie with the scope and size of The Frozen, and the talent level that a larger production brings with it,” said David Anselmo, CEO/President of Production at Hideaway Pictures Inc. “This offers a tremendous learning opportunity to our Northern crew members, all the while providing a significant boost to the local economy.”
The Frozen stars Prison Break’s Dominic Purcell, who plays a man searching for answers to questions buried in his past which takes him to the deepest reaches of the arctic. It also stars Arctic Air’s Adam Beach and Canadian screen legend Michael Ironside.
The Frozen is directed by Director’s Guild of Canada president Sturla Gunnarsson (Beowulf and Grendel), and produced by Jeff Sackman, Michael Baker, and Northern Ontario co-producer Anselmo.
“This investment demonstrates our government’s commitment to boosting the North’s film industry, diversifying the northern economy and creating exciting employment opportunities for our young people,” said Bartolucci.
Check back to Northernlife.ca for more on this story.
