Curling Doc Hits Canadian Theatres

Teenagers are weird. They’re not kids and they’re not adults. And so a lot of us are just, like, overlooked as people, really. Which is similar to curling. No one really gives curling a second look. But, like, curling is cool.  — Curl Power narration

Curl Power, a new documentary film, gets its national release in select Canadian theatres today.

The film follows a five-player team of teenage girls in the Vancouver area as they pursue their dream of becoming curling champions.

The twist sees the team members attempt to seek their own path amid the legacies of their mothers—who happen to be British Columbia curling legends.

World champions Georgina Wheatcroft and Diane Dezura appear as coaches (and moms) in the film, as does Shannon Joanisse, a five-time STOH competitor.

Wheatcroft and Dezura, who also won Olympic bronze with skip Kelley Law in 2002, are retired from high-performance competition.

Joanisse is still competing; she’s in action this week at the B.C. championships in Langley.

“This intimate and imaginative coming-of-age documentary tells a story of angst and ecstasy, following the funny and tender evolution of five best friends as they reckon with their bodies, minds, and the great unknown,” reads a film synopsis.

Filmmaker Josephine Anderson spent a remarkable five years shooting and editing footage, which saw various pivots due to the COVID-19 pandemic and her own pregnancy.

Anderson had a busy 2024, presenting her work—with co-producer Mike Johnston—at multiple film festivals across Canada, prior to today’s nationwide release.

Curling Canada and its member associations are involved in promoting the film, which will see 5% of proceeds donated to various next-gen programs including “Girls Rock.”

It was CurlBC’s High Performance director who first suggested the junior-aged “4K Girls” curling team to Anderson.

Melissa Soligo won a Scotties title and world silver with skip Julie Skinner (nee Sutton) in 1991, and also scored Olympic demonstration bronze at Albertville 1992.

“I got a random email from Josephine one day, and she was looking for four young female curlers that she could follow for a year or two,” recalled Soligo.

“You have this young team, they had about two years left in juniors, and they were coached by Olympians and world champions and Scotties competitors. I told Josephine this was one option.

“I had lots of options, but I thought—this team is doing things that other teams of that age wouldn’t know to do, because they’re not being coached by such high-calibre people.”

The rest is history.

“I think the film is phenomenal,” said Soligo. “The product that was created with the beauty of that team, being so close as friends … it reminded me of when I played with my girls. We were best friends, we lived in the same house, we trained together all the time.

“And these girls were best friends. Just to see them grow together on and off the ice, it’s really special.”

Sharp-eyed curling fans will be intrigued by scenes from west coast curling facilities and there are a few cameo appearances throughout.

One sees Joanisse’s husband, Dean Joanisse—a two-time Brier skip and world junior competitor—applying pebble to a practice sheet.

Another sees the girls take a curling trip to Edmonton for a summer training camp hosted by Brier legend Kevin Martin.

Cameras also caught one player fall flat while delivering the stone—only to see an amazing result play out in the house.

“That’s one of the biggest gifts of making the film,” Anderson told a festival screening crowd in St. John’s last October. “Just being welcomed into the world of curling was so special.

“I learned a lot about what a community can look like through witnessing and observing curling.

“So for me, from a standpoint of filmmaking, it was easy, and such a gift.”

Tickets for Curl Power are now on sale. Curling clubs within range of the 75 theatres are encouraged to plan viewing parties for the afternoon of Jan. 26 and the evening of Jan. 27.