Canadian Filmmaker Ingrid Veninger Launches Camino-Based Feature
A Radical Pilgrimage Film Produced in Motion
PRESS RELEASE
(Toronto, ON) — Canadian filmmaker Ingrid Veninger has announced production on FEATURE #9 (working title), a hybrid narrative–documentary feature to be shot while walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route (Camino Francés) across northern Spain in spring 2026. The film marks Veninger’s ninth feature as writer-director-producer and continues her internationally recognized practice of micro-budget, director-driven cinema that moves fluidly between fiction and non-fiction.
“I intentionally challenge myself with each new project, but this is my most intense undertaking to date,” says Veninger. “The Camino isn’t just a backdrop—it’s the engine.” Veninger describes the project as “cinema in motion” — a practice where narrative intention and documentary reality continuously inform and reshape one another.
Produced under Veninger’s Toronto-based company pUNK Films Inc., FEATURE #9 is conceived as a pilgrimage film made in real time—combining fiction, lived experience, and place-based production. The project will be shot while walking approximately 825 kilometres, with filming embedded directly into the daily rhythm of the journey.
“The crew will consist of myself and my partner, John Switzer. We’ll carry everything on our backs for the entire trek. We won’t know where we’re sleeping from night to night. We’ll be in constant motion for 52 days. Embracing uncertainty is a major part of the process.”
The project has already undergone significant field research. In November 2025, Veninger and Switzer completed a Camino location-scouting trip, walking the final 120 kilometres from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela as preparation for the full production journey.
After a two-month writing retreat, Veninger completed a 90-page script drawing on her signature blend of narrative intimacy and documentary immediacy. “There’s a framework—story, dialogue, characters—but I have to remain open to scrapping it all in the face of spontaneous happenings. Everything we experience will shape the film as it unfolds.”
The project builds on Veninger’s long-standing reputation for agile, director-led production models. Her previous features—including Crocodile Eyes, Porcupine Lake, He Hated Pigeons (presented with an ever-changing live score), The Animal Project, and Modra—have premiered at major international festivals such as TIFF, Rotterdam, Busan, and VIFF, and are frequently cited in discussions around sustainable independent filmmaking in Canada.
Shot primarily on iPhone 17 Pro, FEATURE #9 will operate with a minimal footprint, prioritizing mobility, immediacy, and ethical engagement with the people and places encountered along the route. The production aligns with growing global conversations around environmentally conscious filmmaking and alternative production methodologies.
While firmly rooted in Veninger’s pUNK Films practice, FEATURE #9 is positioned for international festival circulation and industry dialogue, particularly around new models of feature production outside traditional frameworks.
Production is scheduled for March–April 2026, with post-production to follow in Canada. Winnipeg-based filmmaker Ryan Steel has joined the project as Editor.
About Ingrid Veninger
Ingrid Veninger is a Canadian filmmaker, producer, and educator based in Toronto. Her films have screened internationally and are known for their raw emotional intimacy, formal experimentation, and fiercely independent production ethos. She is an Associate Professor at York University and the founder of pUNK Films Inc.