Movie crew says $250K worth of filming equipment and truck stolen in Winnipeg

Adam Rodness said the truck and trailer pictured here were discovered stolen on Nov. 13, 2021, in Winnipeg. He said the truck and trailer were filled with a $250,000 worth of filming gear. (Submitted)

WINNIPEG — A movie being filmed in Manitoba is off to a rocky start after a truck and trailer filled with a $250,000 worth of filming gear was stolen, the movie's producer says.

Producer and Writer Adam Rodness said he was given some unwelcome news when he arrived in the movie's production office in Winnipeg on Monday morning—the truck and trailer that had all the production's lighting equipment and grip gear for filming had been stolen.

"They told us flat out that the entire truck was stolen. We literally have nothing but a couple of cameras and some actors now leftover to make this movie and we started to scramble," Rodness said.

The movie 'Vandits' is a Christmas-themed heist movie about a group of people who rob a bingo hall.

"The irony of us being heisted the day before we started filming a heist movie is not lost on us. But we do want our stuff back," said Stu Stone, the movie's director and co-writer.

The filming is set to begin on Tuesday and wrap up in early December, and despite the loss of the equipment Rodness said production will have to move forward.

"We have to start shooting because our schedule and money cannot afford to be pushed anymore. So we don't have a choice. We're going to make it happen," he said.

Rodness said the theft has been reported to police, though they are calling on Winnipeggers and the filming community in the city to keep an eye out for the truck or the stolen gear and contact police if it is found.

"This is not going to stop us from loving being in Winnipeg," Stone said. "It's not going to stop us from achieving our goal of coming here and shooting a great film. It's a roadblock, but we're going to just bust through that roadblock."