A 48th Highlanders recruit in Canadian uniform with horse on the set of the movie Passchendaele. The mud and deep water is typical of that experienced by Canadian troops and the 15th Battalion, 48th Highlanders in WWI.

Passchendaele is a 2008 Canadian war film, written, co-produced, directed by, and starring Paul Gross. The film, which was shot in Calgary, Alberta, Fort Macleod, Alberta, and in Belgium, focuses on the experiences of a Canadian soldier, Michael Dunne, at the Battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, inspired by stories that Gross heard from his grandfather, a First World War soldier.

The film had its premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival on September 4, 2008, when it also had the honour of opening the festival.  On March 2, 2009, Paul Gross was honoured for his film Passchendaele, winning that year’s National Arts Centre Award for achievement over the past performance year. The film won five awards at the 29th Genie Awards, including Best Picture, and also received the Golden Reel Award for Canada’s top-grossing film of 2008.

Production on the film began on August 20, 2007, with principal photography in Calgary, Alberta. The film was shot over a period of forty-five days and involved over 200 actors, some of them Canadian Forces soldiers with combat experience in Afghanistan. Battle scenes were filmed on the Tsuu T’ina Nation reserve just outside Calgary, and principal photography finished in October 2007.