Gales Creek church goes Catholic for film

For two days this week, part of Gales Creek's downtown was transformed into Indiana, and the Gales Creek Community Church of God converted to Catholicism.

That is, for a film being shot in the area.

According to a crew member who spoke with this newspaper, the film is adapted from Daniel Hornsby's novel, Via Negativa. It follows the cross-country road trip of a priest struggling with a crisis of faith who finds an injured coyote.

The injured coyote is portrayed by two coydogs, Yahoo and Takoa. Also attached to the film are Young Mazino (Beef, The Last of Us) and Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep), according to crew members, though News in the Grove could not independently verify their involvement.

The film was shot on location in Gales Creek, Helvetia, Forest Grove, and at the Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter in Hillsboro, among other locales, according to conversations with crew members and public records obtained by this newspaper.

The church shoot on Tuesday, Aug. 12 was the final indoor shooting day of the film, according to the crew member, who lives in Forest Grove.

He requested anonymity due to confidentiality concerns. This newspaper confirmed his role independently.

"It's a really cool story of this guy. He basically, for reasons to be seen in the film, goes on a big road trip to visit his sister in Portland," the crew member said.

Along the way, his Jeep becomes something of a mobile confessional for the people he meets.

The film was shot on 35 mm Kodak film.

"It's a special part of this movie," the crew member said. Every night the film is FedExed to a lab in Burbank, Calif. to be processed, he said.

The film was shot in other locations in Oregon, many of them in Washington County. The Hagg Lake area stood in for Wyoming, for example.

According to Deadline, Hannah Peterson adapted and is directing the film.

The film is expected to be released in about 18 months, according to the crew member.

The crew member praised the Gales Creek community and members of the church for their assistance in the film.

The Forest Grove School District also confirmed that the film had obtained permission to use the Gales Creek School parking lot in connection with the film.

At the church, Judy Hesselgesser said the crew was easy to work with.

"[They] said the directors would like to come out and see it. So I met them there," she said, "They liked it so they arranged to use it," she said, noting the church was paid for the film shoot.

While information about films can be difficult to obtain—nondisclosure agreements are commonplace in the film industry—crews must file permits for access to right of way if they plan to film on county roads.

This newspaper obtained more than 70 documents in connection with the film.

They show a coordination between county staff and a location manager on filming days around the county's paving and road maintenance schedule.

Plans shifted throughout the process, with shoots on Martin Road in Forest Grove, Cedar Canyon Road outside of Banks, and Greenville Road either canceled by the film's producers or denied by the county due to road construction conflicts.