Our Team
Kyle Thomas
kyle@northcountrycinema.comKyle Thomas is a filmmaker from Calgary, and an alum of the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University in Montreal. His short film Not Far From The Abattoir (2011), was awarded top prizes at the Calgary and Edmonton International Film Festivals for short format work by an Alberta-based director, and was screened in competition at SXSW 2012. Kyle’s short film The Post (2013) was presented at Cannes 2013 as part of Telefilm Canada’s Not Short On Talent program. A 2014 recipient of the prestigious Lieutenant Governor General of Alberta Arts Award, Kyle has completed his first feature film, The Valley Below, a multi-narrative drama set in the badlands of central Alberta. This film is produced with the support of Telefilm Canada and the Alberta Media Fund, and had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. The Valley Below was acquired for Canadian distribution by A71 Entertainment, and went on to garner two Canadian Screen Award Nominations in 2015. Recently, Thomas served as Producer and principal actor on Alexander Carson’s first feature film, O, Brazen Age. Thomas' second feature film as writer/director, Range Roads, was completed in 2021 with the support of the Alberta Media Fund and Telefilm Canada. The film received two Alberta Motion Picture Industry Awards that year: Best Feature Film and Best Director (Kyle Thomas). Range Roads has since been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress (Alana Hawley).
Alexander Carson
sandy@northcountrycinema.comAlexander Carson is a Canadian filmmaker and media artist whose work explores the intersection of collective practice and personal storytelling. He holds a BFA (Film Production) and MA (Film Studies) from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University in Montréal, and completed his MFA in Creative Practice at Transart Institute, Liverpool John Moores University (UK). His recent films have screened at major film festivals across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Carson received the Award for Innovation at Sled Island Festival 2012, and the Achievement in Direction Award at the Air Canada En Route Film Festival in 2012 for “We Refuse To Be Cold”. His short film Numbers & Friends (2013), a playful cine-essay about sports fandom and cultural identity, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013, before receiving the Golden Gate Award for New Visions at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 2014. He completed work on his first feature-length film O, Brazen Age, with the support of Telefilm Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts in 2015. O, Brazen Age premiered in Canada at the Vancouver International Film Festival, and in Europe at the Reykjavik International Film Festival in Iceland. O, Brazen Age was released theatrically and via digital platforms across Canada in 2017. Carson's recent book chapter, "Quarantine Cinema: Teaching Film Directing during COVID-19" is collected in the anthology Teaching in the Post COVID-19 Era: World Education Dilemmas, Teaching Innovations and Solutions in the Age of Crisis (Springer, 2021). He is currently in post-production on his second feature film: Alberta Number One, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Telefilm Canada, and the Alberta Media Fund. The film will premiere at the 53rd Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montréal and the 60th Chicago International Film Festival in October, 2024.
Sara Corry
sara@northcountrycinema.comSara Corry is a Production Manager and Producer with North Country Cinema in Calgary. She has numerous credits with NCC over the past decade, and was Co-Producer on Kyle Thomas’ critically-acclaimed debut feature-film, The Valley Below. Corry has also worked extensively as a freelancer in the Alberta production world. Recent credits include Lost In Space (Netflix) and East Texas Oil (Alberta Film Projects). Corry recently served as lead producer on Kyle Thomas’ award-winning second feature film, Range Roads, which was recently completed with the support of the Alberta Media Fund and Telefilm Canada. She is currently producing Alexander Carson's second feature film Alberta Number One.
Ingrid Vargas
ingrid@northcountrycinema.comIngrid Vargas is a Colombian-Canadian producer, writer, director, and photographer currently based in Calgary, AB. She is a graduate of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology's Film & Video Production Program. Vargas has a uniquely authorial and feminine voice, confidently combining naturalism with sublime moments of visual poetry. She approaches her work with tenderness, passion, and an eagerness to collaborate with her peers. As a storyteller, she is curious, innovative and versatile; her work reflects insightful appreciations for subtlety, humour, and the unexpected. Vargas' short film work includes: I Love you, Johnny! (2016), All Saints (2018) and Bedroom Hymns (2019). She is currently in post-production on her short film Zero Hour with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Past Members & Collaborators
Cameron Macgowan
Cameron Macgowan (2011-2018) is a Calgary-based filmmaker, and a graduate of the Film/Video program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Cameron’s first outing with North Country Cinema was producing Kyle’s award-winning film Not Far From The Abattoir (2011). His short film Black Hills (2012), a gritty and haunting western, has screened widely at festivals across North America. Cameron recently completed his short film Back Streets (2014), a small town drama produced with the support of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts that premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Macgowan was also a Producer on Kyle Thomas’ feature film The Valley Below, and has recently released his first feature film as writer/director, Red Letter Day (2019), through Awkward Silencio Films.
Nicholas Martin
Nicholas Martin (2005-2010) is a frequent NCC collaborator based in Los Angeles, California. He is an alum of the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University in Montreal, and a founding member of North Country Cinema. Although Nick no longer works as a producing partner, he has contributed creatively to several recent award-winning NCC projects, including Alexander’s film “We Refuse To Be Cold” (as a performer), and Kyle Thomas’ Not Far From The Abattoir (as a composer). Nicholas Martin re-teamed with NCC most recently as a lead performer (Harvey) in Alexander Carson’s feature film O, Brazen Age.