The Flannel Crew is back. Bigger and better. More stoked and more savvy. And, as ever, fighting to save freeride on multiple fronts.
Dive in to the drive to make STRAIN below with director Austen Tanney and the one and only Joey Reinhart. These guys are juggling an incredible amount of stuff, plus full time jobs, so please take some time to check some of it out. Then stay tuned for its release. It’s already a bright light as we look forward to 2026.
The Nomad: Lessons learned in front of of a live audience
This is the Calgary-based crew’s second movie, following The Nomad. While The Nomad was fuelled by 100 per cent stoke and, in their words “a false sense of confidence,” STRAIN elevates the production on all fronts. In part through lessons learned making the first movie. And, in part, lessons forced on the crew by life. While they’re not giving away too much of the plot before the premiere, STRAIN dives deeper into the emotional side of shredding.
While the crew was well versed in filming their antics rolling into their feature debut, making a movie is, they learned, a little different than making a movie for theatres.
“Just because it looks or sounds good on your phone, or a Costco smart TV does not mean it’s as good on something the size of my house with audio that goes rock concert loud,” Tanney says. “DCI compliance to actually fit the film on a theatre screen and doesn’t blow your ear drums? Hadn’t heard of that one before.”
“We had no idea what we were doing, but had this raw energy and passion to fumble our way through it all. Just a bunch of friends in the woods who decided to buy a camera and document what we do every summer,” adds Reinhart.
If the production side was a little humbling, touring The Nomad gave an easy answer to whether they’d be back for a second instalment.
“100 per cent yes. Walking in to a sold-out theatre or six with people stoked to the absolute max is all we need to keep pushing on,” Reinhart recalls. “It’s absolutely electric and the connection to everyone is incredible. Getting to talk with people at the after party about how it’s inspired them is a feeling that just can’t be matched”
New movie, new best memories
Setting out to film STRAIN brought new, hard-fought best days ever. Tanney and Reinhart quickly rattle off a list/teaser of what’s to come in the full feature.
“Getting to…
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