Escape
What Is Escape?
Escape is a feature documentary on the pleasures and perils of escapism. In a time of political and cultural upheaval, we all feel the urge to escape once in awhile. But how? By exploring a wide range of pastimes, backgrounds, and beliefs, we’ll discover how people are finding meaning, joy, and ways to cope.
Crowdfunding Campaign Open Now!
Let's Make a Movie
Filmmaking is a joy—and also quite expensive. Every dollar we raise will go straight back into this film, increasing the production value and allowing us to deliver a stronger, deeper, more polished film.
We thought about creating wacky rewards for each tier, but that would take time and energy away from the more important work of actually making this movie. We hope you find the rewards simple but meaningful.
Looking for more info? Just keep scrolling and you’ll find our detailed vision outlined below.
Thank you so much for your help and your belief in this project—it means a lot.
Reward Tiers
$15
A donation to the arts, with our sincere thanks
$25
Includes a digital screener of the film and a ticket to the in-person premiere
$50
Gets you all of the above, plus your name in everyone's favourite part of the movie, the credits
$100
Gets you all of the above, plus a digital thank-you video from the crew
Custom
If you can only make a small donation, or you're moved to make an even more substantial contribution, we've included a custom amount option.
Choose Tier
Donor Wall
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Frankie Eidt
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Janet Van De Graaff
I’ll support anything Matt Snell is doing! -
Becky Sheasby
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Rachel Colley
Go get ‘em! -
Kathryn Bahun
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mary collins
this is how humans shine ... play on!! -
Carolyn And Steve
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Britt Espe
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Elizabeth Campbell
Creativity like this needs to be supported! -
Tricia & Dave Snell - Clingan
Because we love Matt’s films and agree that we all need more of Matt’s films now more than ever. -
Jean Claude Pigeon
get er done Matt sounds like a great project! -
Tey Stiteler
Go, Matt, go! -
Jen kazda kazda
This is wonderful! Looking forward to seeing the final project! -
Joan and Ted Barrett/Moores
Wish it could be more Matt - but here is something. Good luck! Fun to see you being creative as always. -
Peter and Carol Snell
Upward and onward! -
KEVIN MACNEIL
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Alison Schmidt
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Troy Farrell
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Sandra (Sandii) Mount
I have seen the sneak peek and love the idea and content thus far Matt and I look fwd to seeing more xo -
Devon Code
It's high time people learned the truth! -
Wyatt Lamoureux
because you're awesome! -
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Jill Lipsett
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Adele Reeves
The Mission
Matt here, Cathedral Hill’s director. I’ve got a new idea, and this one is ambitious and important enough to warrant a crowdfunding campaign.
I want to make a documentary on the subject of escapism. There are so many possible interpretations of that theme— artistic, social, spiritual, physical, philosophical—the word alone probably sets your mind free associating. As you can see from the video above, it’s already sent me some unusual places, and there’s so much potential to push this film in unexpected and creative directions.
It’s important to say I don’t mean escapism negatively. Some amount of escape from the everyday is not only healthy but necessary, and besides, as a person who’s spent much of their life making and appreciating art, I’m the last one who should criticize.
But I do think there’s a special modern resonance here.
You’ve probably been in a conversation that veers towards the political, and an awkward atmosphere descends. Half the room needs to pour it out, and the other half is desperately trying to look elsewhere. I can relate to both sides—the need to reflect is natural, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed staring down the well. These are what you might euphemistically describe as trying times (or melodramatically as a paralyzing moment of doom).
I believe we can use Escape to get at that feeling from a sideways angle, in a way that’s sensitive to contemporary issues without bludgeoning you with them. It’s a meditation, it’s a hangout, it’s a quest for meaning. It has enormous visual and storytelling potential. We’re going to get at that sinking modern feeling, melt the ice a little, and leave you with a feeling of renewed appreciation for the richness and variety of human expression.
Director's Statement
When I started working on “Mr. Possibility” last year, I intended it as a coda to a decade-long project of annual films. At the time I didn’t know if the final product would stand alone, or turn out to be the equivalent of a DVD featurette for our anniversary screening at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, Peterborough, Ontario.
It became the film work I’m proudest of. “Mr. Possibility” embraced a new level of vulnerability and introspection by moving to a documentary format, and the risk paid off. After our first screening I got the type of emails I’d never received before—one person asked for a screener copy to help cheer up a sick friend. Another said I’d inspired him to start practicing guitar again. Artists from across disciplines congratulating me on capturing something universal about pursuing a creative life.
Now the challenge is to take that same energy and make a longer, deeper film. Where “Mr. Possibility” was introspective, Escape is outward looking. I want to push farther out into the field, and capture a more diverse set of experiences and answers. The tone will lean towards uplifting and celebratory, but at the same time, we won’t shy away from answers that reveal a darker side of escapism. We’ll navigate carefully through it, with humour and respect.
Rebecca Reeves, Matt Snell, and Jill Lipsett wrap up a weekend of shooting at the Hastings Medieval Festival
Previous Work
You can just take a look at this website to know we love film. As I said above, our last project “Mr. Possibility,” is closest to how we envisage Escape. You might also give “Fortune Cookie” a try, since it employs humour to take on Internet and smartphone addiction without being a huge bummer (though that one does it through a fictional lens). If you’re in a hurry, “Schnitzelback” is just under four minutes long and won Best Canadian at the 2022 Canadian International Comedy Film Festival. It’s notable for being produced during the pandemic, and yet the light touch means it hasn’t aged like milk.
I’m also a published author—take a look at the Writing section for a few samples.
Outside of my personal work, I’ve contributed to other documentaries, including The Monarch Ultra, about the advocates working to save declining monarch populations, and Survival of the Wooden Canoe, about the wooden canoe company Bear Mountain Boats. I’m a photographer, videographer, and copywriter for the local tourism sector in my day job, so I have plenty of practice visiting locations and setting up interviews.
Also, after screening “Mr. Possibility” at ReFrame Documentary Festival last year, I decided to pay it forward and join the festival as a member of the programming committee. I’ve watched approximately a billion documentaries in 2026, so on top of a life-long love of movies, I can add a detailed and current study of trends in documentary filmmaking.
The Crew
As the driving force behind Cathedral Hill Productions I wear a lot of hats, from cameraperson to narrator to editor. But making movies is a collective endeavour, and what we do would be impossible without key contributions from our team (who are also multi-hyphenate talents).
These are the people who refine and focus our ideas; they help find interviewees and locations. When a shoot day hits the schedule, depending on availability and skill set they may be holding a microphone boom pole, shooting b-roll, or collecting likeness releases.
Phil Abbott · Kathryn Bahun · Rachel Colley · Steve do Vale · Ben Hatcher · Jill Lipsett · Summer Meyer · Jean-Claude Pigeon · Rebecca Reeves · Carolyn Ross · Mark Rostrup · Graham Trull
Budget
The specifics of budget are heavily dependent on how much we raise. Unlike some narrative film which require a set amount to be feasible, we haven’t set a minimum goal. Regardless of how much we raise, we’re driven to see Escape make it to the screen.
We can guarantee, however, that filmmaking gets expensive quickly. Even a modest amount raised will help cover production costs such as travel expenses and feeding our crew, gear rental, music licensing, post-production fees like sound design and colour grading, etc.
A more generous budget would allow us to expand the scope and ambition of the project and turn hard-working volunteers into properly compensated professionals. You’ll see and hear every dollar raised.
Production Timeline
This is our first feature, which means it’s going to take longer to assemble. The goal is release Escape as early as October 2027, and no later than October 2028.
We’re also aware that this project casts a wide thematic net, which creates challenges as well as opportunities. Our track record shows a knack for delivering uniquely creative projects on schedule, but in the unlikely event the subject matter is too unwieldy to weave together into a feature, we pledge to turn the material into a web series of equivalent length or longer, and still hold an in-person screening on the same timeline.
Inspiration
Louis Theroux is my personal hero, and How To with John Wilson is my favourite show on television. I devoured WIRED’s Obsessed series. Vernon, Florida by Errol Morris sticks out in my memory as being an incredibly singular doc assembled only from unusual conversations.
All of the above prove that an interest in people and the insight to ask the right questions is worth more than a multi-million-dollar budget. Actually, don’t get me talking about my favourite movies—once I get started it’s hard to stop.
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Signing up for the newsletter is the best way to stay in touch with the project. We’ll let you know as soon as the campaign launches, and send occasional updates on how it’s going (we promise to be gentle on your inbox). You can also follow us on Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook. Your help spreading the word is invaluable.
Got a great idea for a subject to purse for Escape? We’re all ears. Write to CathedralHillProductions@gmail.com.
Thank you so much for considering supporting this project. It means a lot, and we’re going to honour that by making the best possible film we can.
John Zomer displays one of his signature birdhouses