Vancouver Notables is the ongoing interview series where “No Fun City” shows off. More like burlesque than a talent show, Vancouver Notables wants you doing what you do best, but with sequins on your nipples. Tell us who you are, what you’re doing that’s of note and why, oh why, are you rocking that boat?  

Sean Hor­lor is the co-founder of Steamy Win­dows Pro­duc­tions and a contestant in the CineCoup Film Accelerator Project. He and his team are competing for a cool million (CAD of course) and a Cineplex release through their social media savvy. Sean is also an orga­nizer of the CineCoup West Coast Party at The Queen’s Repub­lic on April 25th.

Who are you?
Former reality show host. Currently part of a Vancouver filmmaking trio (with Steve Adams and Sean Cox) that is working on a feature called The Mill and the Mountain.

How did you get involved in the filmmaking industry in Vancouver?
My partner Steve and I won a filmmaking grant from OUTtv in 2011. Our short film “Just the Tip” screened at a few festivals. We were instantly hooked.

How did Steamy Window Productions come to be?
After working on contract for other producers, Steve and I said “NO MORE” and started our own company. We started with commercial projects believing that our business model would eventually fuel our creative work.

The Mill on the Mountain is based on the history of deaths and disappearances along BC’s so-called “Highway of Tears.” Were there additional challenges in creating a story based on actual events? What sparked the concept for The Mill and The Mountain?
I started [writing] a novel about a 2005 missing-person case in Vancouver, but the idea didn’t really come together into a screenplay until I met Steve. He grew up along the Highway of Tears and babysat accused serial killer Cody Legebokoff in the 1990s. There’s also a revenge-porn connection to the film (based on Hunter Moore’s website Is Anyone Up?) which we used to tie the events together. We wanted to create a showcase for some of Canada’s dirtiest secrets. It’s not all hockey and rom-coms up here right?

What are the aesthetic influences for The Mill and The Mountain?
Definitely films like Fargo, Winter’s Bone and the original A Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

How did you decide to enter the project into the CineCoup film accelerator?
Our team said yes to our inner Dr. Evil: One million dollars!

How is the competition going so far?
We’ve had a whole bunch of love from Vancouver, which is incredible! We’ve also crowdsourced our concept and script with movie fans around the world, testing what works and what doesn’t. It’s a new way to make movies and we’re stoked to be involved in CineCoup’s first year.

What will a 1 million dollar budget allow you do with this film that wouldn’t be possible otherwise?
The $1M will help us make our film, but CineCoup has helped connect us to film fans and the film industry in a way that would have taken years to do alone.

Best Vancouver spot?
Third Beach!

Last film you watched?
The Illusionist. Clunky start and some mushy parts AND Jessica Biel, but there’s a five-star reveal at the end.

Last album you listened to?
The soundtrack to The Hours. Philip Glass is a writer’s best friend.

For more about Sean and The Mill on the Mountain, check out The Mill and the Mountain Trailer, you can follow the team on Facebook and Twitter, too, and of course there’s Steamy Windows’ CineCoup profile for bios, mission videos, trailer, press clippings, and behind-the-scenes photos.