Filmmakers are seeking out the Pembina Valley to recreate post-apocalyptic landscapes.

"We were looking for landscapes with rolling hills and there were no buildings as far as the eye can see," local filmmaker Paul Plett explains. "We shot in the fall, so everything is kind of dead, so it's not bright and vibrant, it was just such a great location."

Originally from Landmark, Plett grew up overseas in Zambia and Sudan with his missionary parents. He eventually married a woman from Plum Coulee, bringing him back to live in Winnipeg.

An alumni of the Toronto Film School, Plett started his own Ode Productions shortly after graduation. While he's worked on promotional videos fo non-governmental organizations and created documentaries, his passion lies with narrative fiction.

Director Paul Plett

"But it's kind of tough to break into that world and get funding," he says. "If you haven't made any films it's a vicious cycle."

It sparked the creation of his first feature length film, and now Plett is starting production on his second, Rama. The story follows a girl named Lex who is infected with a deadly virus, and assembles a ragtag group of strangers to help her cross a post-apocalyptic landscape in order to find the cure.

"It's funny the way I approach making movies... I see rundown derelict buildings and I think, "Oh that's so beautiful," you can't pay for the amount of damage that's been done."

However, Plett and the team has turned to Kickstarter to raise money to bring the production to the next level.

"We're a small production company from Manitoba trying to make a big movie, so the hope is we can get some people behind it."

He hopes to eventually see the film brought to a larger audience through a streaming service like Netflix.

To follow the project, go here.