Described as one of the “most buzzworthy” Canadian films of the season, The Grand Seduction is story of survival. It tells the tale of a small harbourside community that has fallen on hard times since the collapse of the fishery. The residents, led by their mayor, set about trying to attract a major oil company to town. But in order to make that happen, they first have to entice a handsome young doctor to take up residence. And so the story builds from there.

The artwork clearly imitates life: the $12.7 million-film, co-produced by Barbara Doran (right) and Roger Frappier, was shot in Trinity Bight, Newfoundland – an area of less than 1,000 people which was devastated by the closure of the fishery and subsequent outmigration. Its isolation and obvious rural character, however, have become its richest resources in recent years.

Since 2000, more than $60-million worth of film production has taken place in the area: Random Passage; The Shipping News; Young Triffie’s Been Made Away With and The Grand Seduction.

Barbara Doran, owner of production company Morag Loves Company, offers an amusing example of how difficult it was when her company first starting filming in rural Newfoundland. She describes the first casting call, when no one showed up because they didn’t know what it was. Her crew ending up going round town, asking random people if they thought a costume would fit them.

It’s remarkably different today, she says. “There are now enough houses to rent for the cast and crew, there are enough good restaurants, food stores, trendy coffee shops and, I might add, a goodly selection of wine at the local liquor store (I think we must credit the Quebecers with that for sure).” One thing that hasn’t changed in the film industry overall is the underrepresentation of women, both in front of and behind the camera. Cannes, for instance, came under fire this year for its failure to include any women-directed films in their main competition.

“It isn’t that women don’t have the talent, it isn’t that we don’t have brilliant ideas, it isn’t that we don’t work as hard as men, but we remain outside the corridors of power where decisions are made as to whose film will find the requisite investment, whose film will attract the right cast.”

In order to make that change, Doran says women will just have to keep breaking through and finding support from other women film makers. If any of them need inspiration, they need look no further than Doran herself.