The population of Ashcroft Indian Band reserve is less than 100 and the Village of Ashcroft has a population of approximately 1700, there is an ease in the way that things are done in the area, it is not the community where one would find fast-paced life but rather simple pleasures and very little distractions. Despite this the community is always busy with events on the go or exciting work in the area. It has surprised visitors to the area to learn that Ashcroft and its surrounding communities have had a lot of entertainment in the area, particularly with the entertainment business. With Vancouver booming in the film and entertainment industries because of its beautiful scenery and its accessibility, it is not surprising that at only 330 kilometers north of Vancouver, Ashcroft , the small town on the trail of the old Gold Rush, sits waiting for more stars and movies, music videos and musicians to wander into town.
Used for its foreign looking landscape and diverse scenery, Ashcroft has been doubled for many different places around the world. Some of these alternate locations include Mexico in the film the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Wyoming in the movie featuring Jennifer Lopez by the name of An Unfinished Life, Yellowstone National Park in the movie 2012, as the untouched and untamed mountains in Shooter, as Afghanistan in the upcoming Afghan Luke, and once again as Mexico and Iraq in the 2010 release of The A-Team starring Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson, and Jessica Biel. Ashcroft, and its surrounding areas, has been a feature in more films such as, Flicka 2, Bird on a Wire, Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead, Cadence, Firewall, The Pledge and Rain Down. Along with movies that have been shot in the area, there have been a few TV shows worth noting. Those TV shows being, America’s Most Wanted, The X-Files, Traffic and Andromeda Strain. For the full list of movies shot in the area please visit: http://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Ashcroft,%20British%20Columbi....
In the summer of 2010, Ashcroft Indian Band was approached for permission to shot a music video on the reserve. Of course with an opportunity like that it was decided that yes, it would be great to have a music video shot on our land. The office was buzzing about who the star would be that wanted to have their video done here and then they discovered it was a young, country break-out star by the name of Melissa Rae Barrie. Country music was her claim to fame and so started production all around the reserve and along the highway. It was not until a few months later that the staff at the band office was able to see the finished product and it was a great video and great music, made even better with the use of recognizable land and our church staring in the shots. It gives the Band great pride to help the young Canadian country star launch her music video and it gives us great pleasure to be able to bring it to you. You can find the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5ejv2ixitQ, and the behind the scenes at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN9xxsCSBLo&NR=1. Melissa can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, at her vlog on YouTube and at 604 Records.
