Documentary about Calgary gaming store to make worldwide premiere at CUFF
In the heart of Calgary’s Sunalta community, there is a massive mecca for gamers of all ages, and now the city staple is the subject of a documentary.
"It was definitely flattering," said Gordon Johansen, the owner of game store The Sentry Box. "It was a lot of fun to do."
The store opened more than four decades ago with Gordon Johansen at the helm.
"I wanted to get cheap games for myself, which is the real reason for (buying the store)," said Johansen. "I always wanted to run a game store."
At over 19,000 square feet and with more than 100,000 items on its shelves, Johansen claims his game store is one of the largest in the world.
"Nobody's ever claimed to be bigger than us," he said.
Size aside, Johansen says the store’s collection is one of a kind.
"There's 100,000 different items in here," he said. "We just don't normally get rid of things, so people can find a lot of stuff that you just won't find anywhere else."
Johansen shares the story of his business in the movie Friendly Local Game Store, which will have its world premiere at the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) at the end of April.
The film is the brainchild of Garry Snow, a local director and producer.
"Like many other people, I found myself without a job in the middle of the pandemic, and I thought ‘What are those things that I always wanted to do that I just never got a chance to do?’” said Snow.
After pitching the idea to Johansen, Snow began filming in June.
"I grew up playing Dungeons and Dragons, and so when I looked at the projects I wanted to do, I thought 'I can combine all my passions of filmmaking and games in general into one project,'” Snow said. “It just made complete sense to me.”
Snow got his first swing at filmmaking while participating in the 48-Hour Movie Making Challenge at CUFF, which is returning to the festival this year after a hiatus.
Friendly Local Game Store will be Snow’s debut documentary.
"There's employees, former employees, there's customers that have been coming here for 40-plus years," he said. "It was really humbling to actually be able to share their experience and showcase the community that surrounds The Sentry Box."
Snow says that community is one he's very grateful for.
“You see so many people coming in that you've watched grow up,” he said. “I never thought it would get this big, or this popular.”
Friendly Local Game Store will be showcased at CUFF on April 28 at the Globe Cinema.
More information, and the full lineup of films, can be found on CUFF’s website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Guilty: Trump becomes first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes
Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?
A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.
Police: 3 killed, including suspected gunman, in Minneapolis shooting
Three people, including the suspected gunman, are dead after a shooting Thursday at a Minneapolis apartment complex, police said.
'Why didn't they stop?' Mom asks of driver in hit-and-run crash that killed son
The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run in Edmonton is begging the driver to come forward.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
$400K in damages for B.C. woman who had unnecessary mastectomy was 'inordinately high,' court finds
A jury's award of $400,000 to a woman who had a mastectomy after being misdiagnosed with breast cancer has been substantially reduced by B.C.'s highest court, which found the damages were "wholly disproportionate."