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Winnipeg Free Press

Camera, canoe, connection

Born on July 1 — Canada Day — 38 years ago in southwestern Poland, filmmaker Patryk Szmidt's finding a creative home in Canada almost feels destined. Six years ago, guided by the immigration program and a determination to shape his own path, Szmidt and his partner Natalia, a graphic designer, chose Winnipeg to put down roots and build something meaningful. 'Being a filmmaker, it's going to be easier for me to stay here along with my partner,' he says. Patryk Szmidt at the Kicker Films office in St. Boniface; he named the company for the word's implication of momentum. 'I did my research before immigrating and found out that Winnipeg has a decent filmmaking community. We're going to try and get our path here the easy way — connect with other filmmakers and start to build my own production company here.' That company became Kicker Films, located at 354 Marion St. 'Kicker is a cool word, between kicking the ball and making things move along,' Szmidt explains over coffee in stoneware mugs on the table, Polish chocolates and biscuits nearby. His functional, airy office leads down a hallway to an equipment-stocked back room where the magic of editing happens. 'In my style, I try to find something between cool and visual, with important messages for people.' His roots in visual storytelling reach back to school days in Poland — first through music production, then photography and eventually filmmaking. After studying journalism and communications at the University of Wrocław, he began blending those skills into a career — starting with music videos, then commercial work, documentaries and freelancing. When he arrived in Canada, he hit the ground running: 'It was a big learning curve to establish myself here, but I've done a lot of commercials in Winnipeg. We're a production company. But the goal is to eventually just make documentary films.' In 2023, he fulfilled a part of that goal by producing, directing and filming Paddling Paradise, a documentary series for Bell TV and Fibe TV1. The project follows three experienced paddlers — Charles Burchill, Harald Weigeldt, and Brian Hydesmith — as they navigate the remote backcountry of Manitoba by canoe. The heart of the film is the Mantario Wilderness Cabin, located about 150 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg on an island in Mantario Lake, straddling the Manitoba-Ontario border. The cabin, owned by the Province of Manitoba but leased and operated by Nature Manitoba, is nestled in the Mantario Wilderness Zone on the eastern edge of Whiteshell Provincial Park — on Treaty 3 territory, the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe Nations and the homeland of the Métis Nation. No motorized traffic is allowed. As Burchill puts it, 'The cottage is a very isolated and unique experience for people because of its distinct status.' A retired botanist with the University of Manitoba, Burchill has long been drawn to this wilderness. He recalls how Szmidt instantly connected with the landscape: 'The trip, landscape and environment provided a vision that he wanted to share through film. Although I wasn't able to return with Patryk, Harald and Brian to the Mantario area, Patryk found time for us to travel back to the Canadian Shield, and he was able to integrate that trip into the film.' Burchill appreciated Szmidt's light-handed directing style. 'He provided excellent direction, but not too much, so we could put a personal stamp on what we said and did,' he says. Hydesmith, a graphic designer and lifelong canoeist, introduced Szmidt to the area the year before production began. 'He came up with the story and worked on it,' he said via a recent phone call, while waiting in his car to board a BC Ferries boat to Bowen Island. 'The first trip for actual filming, neither Charles nor Harald could go, so my wife, Liz, and I paddled Patryk out there. He shot in every bit of light he had.' That shoot had a moment of misadventure — Szmidt's drone lost power and sank into Mantario Lake. 'We rushed out in the canoe, but all we found were bubbles,' Hydesmith recalls. Undeterred, he and Weigeldt returned with Szmidt the following week to reshoot what was lost — and capture more. For Weigeldt, the project held personal meaning. A dream to build his own canoe had begun in the 1980s, after discovering Canoecraft by Ted Moores. Four decades later, that dream was realized — and Paddling Paradise became an unexpected part of the journey. 'After retirement, I was finally able to fulfil that dream,' Weigeldt says in an email. 'The canoe became a means of exploring the natural world around us. But it was also a vehicle for building relationships with like-minded people.' Paddling Paradise follows three experienced paddlers as they canoe in Manitoba. The film allowed that spirit of connection to ripple outward. 'The project became a way to share the canoe experience with a wider audience,' he adds. Being featured in the film wasn't effortless: 'It was a challenge to be the subject. I'm quite happy not being in the limelight.' Yet in the hands of Szmidt's quiet camera, vulnerability became strength. Despite the solitude of the setting, Paddling Paradise feels anything but spare. Szmidt handled every aspect of the film himself: drone work, sound, editing, camera operation and directing. 'I've been on movie sets with large teams and specialized roles,' says Hydesmith. 'Patryk did everything on his own. His shots are quiet, graceful — nothing feels rushed. There's a real artfulness to his work that reflects the experience of Mantario itself.' For Szmidt, portraying the vastness of nature was essential. 'The drone really helped show the size of the environment,' he says. 'You see how small we are in it — and how connected we can be to it.' And for all involved, the film captures a shared reverence for the quiet power of simplicity and wild places. Burchill praises the documentary as a 'representation of the spirit and passion we each hold for paddling and the Mantario area.' Szmidt echoes that sentiment. 'The great thing in Canada is how people spend their free time outside,' he says. 'In Poland, camping isn't a big part of the culture — we would go to small spots outside town or to the Baltic Sea. But here, the national and provincial parks make it easy. That's what I love about being here.' Having arrived without grand expectations — 'I just go with the flow and see how things turn out' — Szmidt has found steady ground, artistic purpose and a country that aligns beautifully with his values. 'Canada is blessed to have young creative talents like Patryk and Natalia as immigrants,' says Hydesmith. 'They are the type of people who help make Canada a great place. They enrich the fabric of our country.' Paddling Paradise is not only a window into Manitoba's wilderness — it's a portrait of a filmmaker whose lens is guided by curiosity, humility and a deep appreciation for the stories that live in the land. The Paddling Paradise series can be viewed on Fibe TV1 or streamed through the Bell TV app, where Szmidt's vision brings the wilderness to life. arts@ Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene.