Do Us Part began as a script development for Downstage Theatre in Calgary, but soon found its footing as the first time, full-length directorial debut of that company’s artistic director Clare Preuss.

That film is now set to have its world premiere at the Calgary International Film Festival in September, and features some of Calgary and Canada’s most well-known theatre and film actors in a relatable dramedy centred around a family matriarch played by Michelle Thrush.

Preuss said that the initial concept for the project was doing a theatre-film hybrid, but that veteran filmmaker and producer Sandi Somers convinced her to make it a full-length feature film.

“We were like, ‘hey, what do you think of this hybrid?’ She’s also a theatre person, so she understands both worlds. We had this meeting with her, and she was like, ‘why don’t you make a film? Feels way more like a film to me than a play,'” she said.

Do Us Part revolves around a family matriarch attempting to hold a family together inside the home of eco-architects, as the adult children members of the family and her husband begin to have their relationships unravel over a birthday dinner.

“I almost died when I read the script for the first time, because the patriarch, played by Andy Curtis, is an architect, an eco-architect named Mark Martin, and my father is an eco-architect named Martin. My sister is an architect, and my cousin’s an architect, and both my uncles are architects, and my grandfather’s an architect,” said Preuss.

“I understand those dynamics, so that’s very personal. But for the audience, what I love about it is it’s fun, that it’s all condensed into one day. It’s fun that is very condensed into this one house.”

She said that much of the humour as the family begins to unravel comes from that dark place where, while the characters find themselves in a situation that is entirely not funny to them, to an outside observer, the dynamics are hilarious.

“I think this is super relatable. In families that get along, there’s often a lot of little lies or little changing of truths, or little adjustments or little side conversations that happen to keep the family dynamic perceivably happy or perceivably calm and polite,” said Preuss.

“This 24 hour period, all of the secrets come out, all of the politeness goes to the side. It’s hilarious because it’s so relatable, right? It’s like, ‘oh yeah, it is so scary to tell the truth to people that you live with, to people that you can’t really get away from, because you’re related to them, and they’re so intertwined because of this living together.'”

Preuss said working with the cast of Michelle Thrush, Andy Curtis, Imajyn Cardinal, Linda Kee, Katherine Rawlinson, Garret Smith, Joel David Taylor, and Telly James made the experience of filming the demise of a family so much fun.

That all of the actors were veterans of both theatre and stage meant that there was a realism that comes from the characters, Preuss said.

“I think there’s a lot of relatability in it, even though the situation itself is quite absurd,” she said.

Brenda Lieberman, Lead Programmer for the Calgary International Film Festival, said that if Calgarians are fans of the art house movie scene, there are a lot of actors who are favourites in that cast.

“It’s great to see Andy Curtis in the film. I love watching him on stage, and it’s a treat to see him in a feature film. It’s always a joy to see Michelle Thrush come through, or Linda Kee, so it’s nice,” she said.

“It is nice to be able to celebrate Alberta content, and also to support emerging directors like Clare going from a theatre background and artistic theatre world to directing. The first feature is a big step, so it’s also a nice opportunity for us to support that.”

Indie budget film with the feel of an expensive production

Preuss said that the production for the film was somewhere between a cheap indie film and an expensive theatre production, costing around $500,000 for the film.

That the production doesn’t look like a budget indie film, she said, came about as a result of a suggestion by Somers to smartly keep the film contained within a single set.

Or in this case, two, as a pair of Calgary homes that just happened to be side by side, and were used to create the feeling of one entire house.

“Containing it was helpful because we weren’t jumping around locations, and that cost money and time. I think the other part was just the fact that we were able to get some really high calibre people who work on big shows in Calgary, because they believed in the script, they believed in the cast,” said Preuss.

Lieberman said that Calgarians are supportive of local work, especially when it means they get to try and figure out where a particular scene was filmed in the city.

“There’s a lot of Calgarians who just really keep curious and look forward to seeing their friends or their neighbours, or which street something was on, or who they knew who worked on it,” she said.

Lieberman said programming Do Us Part for CIFF came about as a result of how enjoyable that family dynamic was and how much it would resonate with Calgarians.

“They did a good job on it,” she said.

Tickets for the world premiere of Do Us Part are on sale now at www.ciffcalgary.ca/films/2025/do-us-part.