2 1/2 days until we're back!

Our cameraman, John, at the town meeting

Happy Monday, everyone! We hope you had a great weekend. The office is buzzing with excitement as we prepare to return to Hardisty in a couple of days. We'll arrive Wednesday the 9th and we'll be in town until the 13th. That means we'll be there for Mother's Day! And we have some advice for the fellows -- this year you may want to join forces with the kids and go all out for the moms in your lives. After all, if you butter them up this weekend, maybe they'll leave you an instruction manual for when they skip town in June!

Speaking of which, although the official sign-up deadline has passed, we still want to hear from any women who may still be interested. Even if you kind of, maybe want to go, give us a call! Or you can email us or inform the town council. Toll-free number: 1.877.872.1963. Email: thewomenwent@papernyfilms.com. Or come talk to us in person this week.

What else? Oh, apparently the community project has sparked some lively debate among the men of Hardisty. Whatever they decide, we're sure it will be great for the town and maybe even an excellent bonding exercise for the men. Good luck, guys!

If you see us wandering around town in a couple of days - please, come chat us up. We'd love to get some feedback from all of you Hardyites ... or is that Hardistonians? There seemed to be some confusion over this issue at the last town meeting. If anything, maybe just tap us on the shoulder and let us know which name you prefer!

See you Wednesday!

SIGN-UP DEADLINE IS TODAY!

We want to thank everyone in Hardisty for welcoming us into your town last week -- we had a blast! It was great to see so many of you at the town meeting and to hear your feedback. We had the opportunity to chat with a lot of you one on one and we hope to get to do a lot more of that when we return in a few days (May 9th-13th).

And we also want to remind all the women of Hardisty that the deadline to sign up for a fabulous and well-deserved holiday is TODAY!

Your signature is not binding, but it will help us figure out how many of you are interested in 7 days of uninterrupted bliss! Come on, who doesn't like uninterrupted bliss? So, if you haven't already, head on down to the town council office and put your name down on one of the sign-up sheets! If you can't make this deadline, but you still want to go away -- just get in touch with us and we'll work it out.

Well, we'd better get back to work. We have a big directors meeting today to gear up for June and everyone's very excited. We'll see you in a couple of days!

Note: We're working on rolling out a new website in the next couple of days, so keep an eye out. There will be regular updates and all sorts of interesting information about Hardisty, Paperny and beyond!

Please feel free to email us at thewomenwent@papernyfilms.com or call us at 1.604.872.1963. We'll call you right back to save the long distance charges

TOWN HALL MEETING

In two days, our team will be descending on Hardisty once again. If you live in Hardisty and have any questions about the show, look for us – we’ll be the ones in moon boots and ski jackets despite the +10 weather.

As mentioned before, there is a TOWN HALL MEETING on April 26th, 7PM at the Community Centre. We would love to see Hardisty pack the hall. At this meeting, one of the subjects we’ll be discussing is the COMMUNITY PROJECT. So, whether or not you’re interested in participating in the show, we hope you can join us for a lively discussion on this project. Which would you prefer – an ice rink? Water park? Amphitheatre? We would love to hear what YOU think would be best for your community.

AWWW about to hit Hardisty again!

It’s been two weeks since Hardisty was announced as the location for The Week the Women Went, and a lot has happened since. The town has been buzzing about the news, and so far it’s been overwhelmingly positive. On our front, we’ve opened a new Vancouver office, our very own Women Went productions, tucked into a blue and pink building that resembles a square cake. Pink and blue, girls and boys – it’s fitting that the colours match the subject.

We’re excited to return to Hardisty this month for our first trip back since the announcement was made. We’ll be holding another town meeting, our third, on April 26th to answer any questions Hardistonians might have of us. We’ll also ask them a few questions of our own, like; how will your family, business or organization function without women for a week? What plans can you put in place to make it possible for the women in your life to go away, while the men and children continue work…school…baseball…grocery shopping…laundry…? Ladies, what sounds more appealing- a spa treatment or white water rafting? A week of volunteer work for charity or a hot stone massage?

And there is also the question of the community project. We’ll be asking the people of Hardisty to ponder what they would like to see built at the end of the week. A skate rink? Water-park? Amphitheatre? There is a ton to think about as we enter this next phase of The Week the Women Went. We’re looking forward to finding the answers together… come back often for updates.

HARDISTY CHOSEN FOR TWTWW!

After months of research and two winter treks through the plains of Alberta, a town has finally been chosen! Paperny Films announced yesterday that HARDISTY will be featured on The Week the Women Went.

The town’s abundance of interesting people and enthusiasm for the show convinced us that it would be perfect for the project. When we pulled into town on our last research trip, the Town of Hardisty sign had a message under it – “Welcome Paperny Films.” We knew that this kind of spirit would help get people fired up about the project.

Not that they needed that much help – at the town meeting, the crowd periodically erupted into spontaneous applause. A few fists even beat the air. Most people in Hardisty seem ready for the challenge. Many have been talking about what they are going to do on vacation, or how they are going to deal without their wives, moms and girlfriends. The show is already starting conversations about subjects such as gender roles, identity and Dad’s tendency to match red and pink - just what we like to see.

Stay tuned for more news.

The Paperny Films producers are hitting the road again!

It’s February and we’re heading back to Alberta. That’s right, we’re done with the miserable Vancouver rain and plan to head back to the beautiful, snowy plains of Bashaw and rolling hills of Hardisty.

The Paperny Films production team are making a whistle-stop tour of both Albertan towns this week before announcing their final decision in March. We’ll be hosting more public town meetings – and want to meet as many residents as possible, hear ideas for the series and take a vote on where the women should go! Check out the times below and come along!

Bashaw – Tuesday 27 February, 7.30pm, at the Bashaw Community Centre
Hardisty – Thursday 1 March, 7.30pm, at the Hardisty Community Hall

Even if you’re not in Alberta, you might have noticed our series is gathering more and more momentum in the news media. We’ve had interviews in the Toronto Star, on Salon.com and on CBC radio.

Meanwhile, the town finalists are vying for our attention. Hardisty Town Council has even passed by-laws to make filming in Hardisty super-easy! (Just in case we choose them as our final town!)

So stay tuned for the decision!

A Week Without Women choose their shortlist of the Top Three Towns!

Wow! It's 2007 and we have all survived our winter treks through our top towns in BC and Alberta!

The team here at Paperny Films is extremely appreciative of the support we have received in all of the towns we visited: Lillooet, Clinton, Kaslo, in BC and Hardisty, Legal, Bashaw, Consort and in Alberta. We want to thank everyone who hosted our visit, promoted the show and opened their homes to us. We also want to thank the kind people who helped us out of the ditch when we went off the road…who steered us right when we went an hour in the wrong direction…and who kindly returned all the valuables we left in our hotel rooms!

After talking to hundreds of wonderful people in around 50 incredible towns (and after some major debate and deliberation here in the office!) we have finally decided on our top 3 towns for A Week Without Women. This was no easy decision, given the enthusiasm, warmth, and spirit that we found in every place we visited. If only we could shoot everywhere! Sound the horns, please!

LILLOOET, BC, otherwise known as “BC's little nugget”, is on the list…

So is, BASHAW, Alberta, home to groovy bluegrass festivals and the Majestic Theatre, and

HARDISTY, Alberta....where 85% of Canada’s oil and gas is stored, and where it feels a bit like the wild west.

We will have to make a final decision in February about our number one town. That's going to be really difficult! So, in the meantime, we need to hear from people in the towns on the shortlist who want to take part in this exciting new television show. If you live in one of these towns and want to get involved please check out our website: www.thewomenwent.com for details on how you can participate.