The Sea to Sky and B.C. as a whole are known for being a hub for film and TV productions. Now, the first francophone series is ready to make its mark in history.
Cameras began rolling May 26 for the first locally created French language drama series ever filmed in British Columbia.
Shot between Britannia Beach, Vancouver and Tofino, Surf Bay, côte Ouest combines both French and English to create a coming-of-age series about surfing, environmental activism and family drama.
On June 25, The Squamish Chief took a tour of the Britannia Beach set to find out all the details about the milestone production.
A mark in history
Despite being a gloomy day outside a local Britannia Beach home—which acts as the backdrop for the day's shoot—viewers would be none the wiser thanks to the master of camera angles.
Camille Felton’s character Margot Swann takes a swing against a punching bag in a scene with Henri Picard, who plays Noah (Margot’s brother).
Both French and English can be heard amongst the multicultural crew and cast, who are working together to create the 10 episodes.
The production is created by Unis TV—a French language channel which highlights francophone communities outside Quebec—and is made in collaboration with Crave.
“[We’ve got] a mix of … French people from around Canada,” Unis TV director of content Jérôme Hellio told The Squamish Chief.
“You know, the director [Dominic Desjardins] is from Ontario, the producers [Magali Gillon-Krizaj and Anthony Cauchy] are from here in B.C., and some of the actors are from Quebec. It's from all around Canada, and that's what we're proud of, because it's very unique.
“It's the perfect example that we can work together in French and tell stories that interest people from B.C. to New Brunswick.”
According to Statistics Canada, there are over 300,000 people who speak French across B.C.
Unis TV president and CEO Yann Paquet said that the francophone series aims to offer representation of that large community within the province.
“There are people speaking French everywhere in Canada. There is a huge community, of course, in Quebec, a huge community in Ontario. But B.C. has a huge community as well,” Paquet said.
“B.C. is an important French-speaking community, so we need to be able to reflect the community, the culture and the language … and to be able to [do] that, we need to be able to have TV shows [like Surf Bay, côte Ouest] because it's such an important cultural product.
“I think a lot of people are going to be touched by it.”
The show
According to a press release from Unis TV, Surf Bay, côte Ouest follows the journey of Margot Swann, a beloved professional surfer deeply attached to her hometown of Surf Bay.
When tourism development threatens an ancient forest, she takes a stand—risking her career and clashing with her community, including her own family. As tensions rise, Margot must face the waves, as the storm she has stirred up could sweep away her Olympic dream.
“Margot is a young surfing prodigy with a strong activist spirit. She loves nature and she really wants to protect it at all costs,” Felton said about her character.
“The ocean is her safe space, and she will discover that the forest is another kind of safe space for her as well during the story.”
Felton said that the show began filming in Tofino where she learned to surf for the first time.
“It's my first time in B.C., and oh my god, I just love it so much. There's just a spirit here, the good energy, a zen energy that people have. I don't know, maybe it's because nature is so luxurious and big,” she said.
“Mia [Wistaff, who plays Zoelie] and I arrived a couple days before the actual shoot started, and we had some surf lessons, and we learned how to sit on a shortboard.
“Learning just to sit on the board was a whole thing, because the board does not float, so you have to stay balanced. It was really hard, but once you get it, you can do it all over and over again. It's like riding a bike.”
She said Tofino’s landscape allowed her to become in touch with her character.
“I truly became Margot in Tofino.”
Wistaff is the only main character to have visited B.C. before (she currently lives in Vancouver but is from Montreal originally).
“I love the multicultural aspects of the show. I think that's so important, because Surf Bay is an English community, but then the main characters are francophones,” she said.
“So I think that's really cool to show on screen, and I hope that both the English and the French speakers are going to want to watch it and want to see that dynamic.”
As a surf lover herself, Wistaff said that getting to combine acting and surfing in a place like Tofino was a dream come true.
“I'm still pinching myself. This is definitely my biggest job I've booked and I love my character so much. She feels like a real person to me. And I'm just so happy to be part of this project,” she said.
It was the ocean and the mountains that struck Picard the most when he arrived in B.C. from Montreal for the shoot.
“When I heard that we were shooting here, I was so excited to come and see the mountains, the beach and the forest,” he said.
“For getting into the story and the characters, that helps so much. On the first day, we started with all the beach stuff and of course, it was demanding, because the light is always changing, the weather and everything. But I was amazed, looking at the sea, the emotions just came so naturally.”
His only regret while filming is not taking advantage of the surf lessons in Tofino.
“I will surely be coming back here and will be taking a surf lesson,” he said with a laugh.
On how it feels to be a part of the first francophone production in B.C., Felton said that it was a “pinch me” moment.
“It's amazing. I feel like the French language is so much more than just something that’s in France or in Quebec,” she said.
“I just hope that it's going to open some doors and inspire other creators to do more French francophone projects here, because B.C. has so much to offer.”
The premiere of Surf Bay, côte Ouest is scheduled on TV5Unis for spring of 2026 with a broadcast on Crave scheduled for 2027.
