Filmmaker Johnny Ma wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of changing plans to shoot his movie in Canada. So the Chinese-Canadian filmmaker took a shot at it, without knowing at the time the city that was meant to be the set would also become a character in his movie The Mother and the Bear. The idea for the movie stems from Ma's experience creating his first film in 2016, but the filmmaker says the movie changed after spending a winter in Winnipeg. After changing locations for the movie from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Winnipeg, Ma said he decided to spend a winter in Manitoba. Johnny Ma is the director of the 2024 film The Mother and the Bear.

Source: CBC News January 11, 2026 18:10 UTC