SYNOPSIS
The Space We Create is a 35-minute documentary about the making of the Aster, a community-driven housing project in Banff, Alberta. Told through the voices of designers, builders, residents, and local leaders the film explores what it means to build with care in a place where housing is scarce, land is protected, and the stakes are personal.
Through labour shortages, frayed supply chains, lockdowns, and a few long winters, it documents the creative decisions, physical work, and emotional investment that brought the project to life. From salvaging a century-old cabin to shaping a courtyard inspired by forest trails, this is a story about finding balance between beauty and necessity, and about the people who make meaningful housing possible.
DETAILS
CREW
Editorial Direction
Bryce Baker
Field Direction
Brendan Kane
Creative Production
Damon Hayes Couture
Executive Production
Matthew Kennedy
Principal Cinematography
Bryce Baker
Construction Cinematography
Brendan Kane
Editing
Bryce Baker
Original Score
Complex Pro Music
Assistant Camera and Grip
Joshua Lebrun
Colour
Blayre Ellestad
Re-recording Mix
Dary Barclay
Titles and Graphics
Public Eye
Wardrobe Support
Arc’teryx
Archival Material Provided by
The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies and Town of Banff
Presented by
Studio North
The Space We Create
Title
Short Documentary
Genre
00:34:57
Runtime
Fall 2025
Release Date
English
Language
Every Detail Tells a Story
Tagline
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
“The Space We Create is about the people, effort, and care behind meaningful housing. To tell this story, I combined the technical approach of architectural filmmaking with the immediacy and intimacy of handheld documentary work. This allowed the film to show both the building’s design and its relationship with the landscape, while also capturing the human effort and care that brought it to life. Field director Brendan filmed the construction and conducted the interviews, while I shaped the narrative earnestly and honestly, ensuring the film reflected the process and the people behind the project rather than serving as a promotional piece. The film ultimately reveals how inspiration, dedication, and celebration combine to create housing that truly matters.”
—Bryce Baker
PRODUCER’S NOTES
“For me, The Space We Create is part of Banff’s housing story. I lived through the design and construction of the Aster, and over five years I watched the project unfold in all its complexity. Three years of building tested everyone involved, and then the making of the documentary gave us space to reflect. Through interviews we reconnected with the inspiration that guided the design, showed the dedication it took to carry the work through winter after winter, and celebrated the community that came together around it.
My aim as producer was to capture not only how the Aster was built, but the care and creativity behind it. This film is about the people who made it possible, and the belief that housing can be a place of dignity, belonging, and beauty.”
—Damon Hayes Couture
With gratitude to the Alberta Real Estate Foundation. Their support made this documentary possible. By investing in housing and community projects across Alberta, the Foundation helps shape a more thoughful, inclusive built environment.
Learn more at aref.ab.ca.
Many thanks to the residents of the Aster, the Banff Housing Corporation, the mayor and staff of the Town of Banff, and Parks Canada.
Filmed in Banff and Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Treaty 7 land, the traditional territory of the Îyârhe Nakoda, Blackfoot, and Tsuut’ina. Where home has taken many forms across generations.
With deep gratitude to everyone who contributed their inspiration, dedication, and care to bringing this project to life.