Tegan and Sara bring 'love letter to the '90s' to Calgary with High School première
Calgary's own Tegan and Sara call their upcoming Amazon series a "love letter to the '90s."
Both the Quin sisters were in town Thursday for the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) première of High School at the Eau Claire theatre.
Debuting the show in the city they grew up in made sense, Tegan said.
Tegan pointed out the show was shot here and is about the time of their lives when they resided here.
Sara said the show is about Calgary as much as it's about them.
"We actually shot at our high school, Crescent Heights. We're very proud of Crescent Heights. It's a super beautiful school and we had a great time going there," Sara said.
"You'll see a North Hill Mall shout-out. Sears," Tegan said.
"Oh my god, Sears," Sara said.
"It's a real love letter to the '90s. I think Calgarians will love the show. I think Albertans will love it ... Canadians and anyone who loved the '90s will love the show," Tegan said.
High School is based on the memoir of the same name the Quin sisters penned a few years back.
Tegan said it was important for the young musicians to tell their story "about coming out, the origin story not only of our band but of us figuring out who we are."
And Tegan said creating the show was equally important.
"I don't know that there are very many shows that give a very unvarnished look at what it's like just to be a teenager and be queer and be figuring out who you are," Tegan said.
"We're very proud of the end result."
High School will be released through Amazon in October and stars Railey Gilliland and Seazynn Gilliland, who came into the roles without much in the way of experience.
Sara said they were exactly the pair that needed to be cast.
"We found them on TikTok," Sara said.
"They were working at a pizza joint in Fresno, Calif., and Tegan and I felt they were compelling, watchable, charismatic and super cool, and we fought to have them play us even though they are not actors and they are not musicians.
"I think they absolutely kill it."
For the CIFF audience on Thursday, the first three episodes of High School were shown.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.