Movie shot in New Brunswick premieres at Saint John’s Imperial Theatre

The Saint John filmed movie “What We Dreamed of Then” sheds light on invisible homelessness in Canada.

A movie that was shot in New Brunswick is set to premiere in the city where it was filmed.

“What We Dreamed of Then” – previously titled “Unseen” – will begin a screening tour around the Maritimes at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John Thursday night.

The movie was mostly filmed at various locations around the Port City, including the Irving Oil Field House and Canada Games Aquatics Centre, in 2024.

It boasts the biggest overall production of an English-spoken film shot in the province in more than a decade.

“I’m really proud of it,” says Taylor Olson, who wrote, directed, and played the lead role of Gideon in the film. “I’m proud of the local cast and crew, both from Halifax and from New Brunswick, and I think just that the community really welcomed us and gave us great access to amazing locations here.”

The film was awarded best feature at the 2025 Silver Wave Film Festival, while Olson won an award for best performance in a feature film at the 2025 Hamilton Film Festival.

In the movie, Olson’s character is a swim coach and father who battles to keep a relationship with his daughter while dealing with the challenges of being “invisibly homeless” as he lives out of his van in secret. The challenges are magnified by the fact that the film is set during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He says the movie is aimed to be an “empathy engine,” and hopes audiences leave the theatre with the knowledge that just because someone is homeless it doesn’t mean they have made bad decisions leading to life on the street.

“These folks who are houseless or visibly houseless are a part of our community,” says Olson. “They’re part of the fabric that makes our society, and so I just hope that people walk away having more empathy but realizing that these people are just like us. They’re people who are kind and are gracious and are hardworking and just trying to survive.”

The feature is a joint effort by Nova Scotia film company Brass Door Productions, New Brunswick’s Hemmings Films and Cazador Inc. Vortex Media has also played a role in the film’s distribution.

Film producer Stephen Foster points out there are different types of homelessness, and he hopes audiences have a better understanding of that after seeing the film.

“It’s not just because of mental health, it’s not just about addiction, it can happen to anyone, and this is a great example of that,” Foster says. “When we were in the encampments, we met a lot of people who were like this and so that’s where we wanted to base the story out of.”

“We want that empathy piece to translate,” says fellow producer Sandy Hunter. “Secondly, for New Brunswick audiences in particular, we’re really excited to show people that a film of this quality and scale can be made right here in our province, and we couldn’t be prouder.”

Both producers say they have been working with the province over the past few years to help get New Brunswick’s film industry on the same level as Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Foster says steady production in the province could make for thousands of full-time unionized jobs for New Brunswickers.

“It’s just a matter of convincing our MLAs and political figures that this is a viable solution,” says Foster. “And one that is right for the taking right now.”

The movie’s Atlantic Canadian tour begins Thursday night in Saint John. Screenings will follow in Moncton on Monday, Miramichi on Wednesday, and Fredericton on Feb. 19. The film will be shown at the Park Lane Cinema in Halifax on Feb. 20.

Each screening will include a question-and-answer session with Olson about the film’s makings and inspiration.

The feature is also expected to land on the streaming service Crave later this summer.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.