Smash Forward Documents Vancouver's Budding Esports Scene
By Wyatt Fossett ·
From Moon Ghost Productions, the Esports documentary is part of the Telus Storyhive funding project, and we've got ourselves a great teaser for the film. \n
With the ever-growing Esports business continuing full steam ahead, it’s becoming more and more clear that the West Coast is a rather large hotbed.
Both the League of Legends Championship Series, and the Overwatch League are hosted on the West Coast. Further North and you’ve got amazing stadiums, high-profile tournaments, and some of the World’s best game developers.
Now, with the help of Telus’ Storyhive filmmaking funding program, Moon Ghost Productions is putting the spotlight on the bustling Vancouver, Canada Esports scene.
Smash Forward: Growing the Vancouver Esports Scene
Enter Vancouver’s esports scene on the cusp to unstoppable growth. Meet the grassroots community’s colourful personalities as they tell all on what it took to get this far and how video games push them to be their best, build lifelong friendships, and make the most of their personal growth.
The team behind Smash Forward includes Director/Producer Melissa Dex Guzman, who has worked with companies and brands like the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Siggraph, and more. By their side in the Editor and Director of Photography chair is Kial Natale, the lead behind Megasteakman and Dreamworks’ All Hail King Julien. As for the soundtrack -- yep, what’s a documentary about video games without a real soundtrack -- they have Adrian Talens of Poly Bridge, and Cartoon Network’s Dreamland Arcade.
The Vancouver local area has been home to some of the best development and Esports in Canada for the better part of a decade and there’s nothing in their way to slow them down. Guzman and company look to both celebrate this world that they love, but help it grow.
Just last year Vancouver hosted The International, Dota 2’s largest Esports competition. Prior to that was a sold-out crowd at the North American League of Legends Summer Championship in 2017. Celebratory explorations of what makes the Vancouver community a wonderful place to be will only go to support more of these large-scale events. Meanwhile, the local tournaments and prize pools all grow.
The short-form documentary is fully funded and will be screening for the first time to the public that is attending the Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo this weekend.
As for release online, we sure hope it’s soon. More to come on Smash Forward as Moon Ghost Productions gets closer to the release.