Indy crew shoots scenes in Grand Coulee for feature-length film

Grand Coulee will make an appearance in an independent coming-of-age/road trip movie coming out next year. At least one iconic location in town could show up on the silver screen. 

The filming crew for "Evergreens" stayed in town a couple of nights in late July to shoot one of the scenes, following the route the two lead characters take as they get to know the state and each other. The story starts in Spokane and continues across Washington, ending up in the Hoh Rainforest on the peninsula.

"Eve, the main character, has never left Spokane, and this wanderlust kid [James] comes along and says, 'I'm going west if you wanna come,'" said Ashley Briley, one of the producers. "And they stop for the night in Grand Coulee."

The locations aren't random. The film is written and directed by Ashley's husband, Jared Briley, of Spokane, who was first assistant director of the zombie/horror series Z Nation, also filmed in eastern Washington.

"It's a love story between two characters, but it's a love story to Washington, too, where Jared grew up," Ashley Briley said. "He's a Spokane resident, born and raised, and all the places he grew up and camped with his dad. It was written to the locations specifically that he knew and loved."

Economics also may have played a role in choosing the location. With a cast and crew of mainly Washingtonians, and just under a $1 million budget, they were qualified to apply for financial support from Washington Filmworks' Small Budget Production Initiative, which they received along with 14 other film projects since May 2023.  

Washington Filmworks is a nonprofit with a mission "to create economic development opportunities by building and enhancing the competitiveness, profile and sustainability of Washington State's film industry."

The "Evergreens" crew also qualified for an enhanced incentive through Washington Filmworks, since they filmed in rural locations throughout the state. 

The filmmakers stayed in Grand Coulee "for two or three nights," Briley said. That meant motel stays, meals and some recreation.

"We took a day off there, so a lot of crew jumped in the water, walked around town and had a great time," Briley said.

The next steps are to finish production and then submit the film to the Sundance Film Festival this fall, as well as other festivals throughout 2025, in the hopes that "Evergreens" will get picked up by a studio or streaming service that will bring it to a wider audience.