A film crew hoping to shoot and produce an hour-long documentary on Jasper National Park in time to honour the 2007 centennial has hit a familiar roadblock. Lack of funding.

Doug Latimer, a former Jasperite and current Canmore resident who came up with the idea to make the film said that while the business community in Jasper has been positive about the project, more money is needed.

When Latimer first made his pitch for cash in January, he said that Shadow Light Productions, the small production company controlled by Latimer and his partner, director Rachel Gauk, would require up to $10,000 in start-up funding in order to be able to begin filming as soon as possible.

“We’ve been getting some great support from the town and we’re getting closer, but we’re not quite there,” he said.

Some additional expenses have presented themselves in the interim, but Latimer is hopeful that he will secure the money he requires in time to begin filming in April.

Even if that does happen, the project will be almost two months behind schedule, a situation made more dire by the extremely tight timeline for the film.

In order to take advantage of the entire centennial period, Latimer would like for the film to be availiable to the public in January 2007.

In order for this to happen, footage must be all ready for post-production and editing by the early fall.

“It’s unfortunate,” Latimer said. “But we still have some good prospects.”

Part of the problem for Latimer and the others directly involved in the project is the lack of final numbers that have been committed for support.

“All the businesses that we’ve talked to in Jasper have been very supportive but they haven’t been able to give us any hard numbers.”

When shooting does start, expenses for the project will increase substantially, and Latimer and his partners have already invested heavily in the film.

“We can only afford to go so far into debt,” he said.

Beyond the financial front, there is plenty of good news for the documentarians. Parks Canada has been very supportive, Latimer reports.

Latimer and others working on the documentary will be in Jasper next week to do further research and lay the groundwork for interviews.

There interviews are expected to be the backbone of the project, according to Latimer, who plans to do the film without background narration.

Latimer hopes to be able to provide an update to his supporters, financial backers and the community at large on Thursday, March 9. Although the room has yet to be confirmed, the plan is for a presentation on the project at 7:30 p.m. at the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre.

The filmmakers are looking for volunteers willing to help move gear and participate as climbers and hikers. Those interested are encouraged to attend the presentation next week.