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
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
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.
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.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.