The Sticky is a quintessentially Canadian story, brought to you by an American streaming giant

It took a pair of Hollywood writers, Brian Donovan and Ed Herro, to bring a legendary Canadian heist story to the screen. The Sticky, loosely based on the 2011-2012 theft of $18.7 million worth of maple syrup from a storage facility in Quebec, is set to hit Amazon Prime on Friday. The series follows the events that made headlines around the country and led to the imprisonment of five individuals involved in the heist.

While the show has garnered excitement, some have mixed feelings about its release coming from an American streaming giant at a time when Canadian filmmakers are struggling. Montreal-based film critic, Justine Smith, expressed concerns about mega-corporations like Amazon taking charge of Canadian stories without being accountable to the local industry.

However, The Sticky has garnered praise for its authenticity and respect for Quebec culture. Shot in Quebec with a Canadian crew and mostly Canadian cast, the series features renowned character actor Margo Martindale as Ruth Landry, a fictional maple syrup farmer who orchestrates the heist. The show also stars Quebec actor Guillaume Cyr and Hollywood legend Jamie Lee Curtis, who serves as an executive producer.

Guillaume Cyr, who plays a security guard in the series, was instrumental in recruiting local talent and ensuring the show captured the essence of Quebecois culture. He emphasized the importance of seeing Hollywood productions like The Sticky hiring real Quebec actors and filming in the province.

The Canadian government is currently working on regulations to require American streaming services to contribute to the Canadian film industry. The CRTC plans to mandate online streaming platforms to allocate five percent of their Canadian revenues to support domestic broadcasting. Despite pushback from streaming companies, industry insiders like Dave Forget of the Directors Guild of Canada see collaborations with Canadian talent, as seen in The Sticky, as a positive step.

Canadian writer and director Kelly Fyffe-Marshall echoed the sentiment, highlighting the need for foreign investments to tell Canadian stories while advocating for building a more self-sufficient film industry domestically.

The Sticky writers, Donovan and Herro, took special care to involve Canadian writers, crew, and local advice to ensure authenticity in the series. They shared their newfound love for Canada, particularly maple syrup, which they received as gifts from locals during filming.

As The Sticky prepares to debut on Amazon Prime, Donovan and Herro express their desire to continue telling the story in future seasons. The show’s success and attention to detail in representing Quebec culture serve as a testament to the potential for collaborations between American and Canadian creators in the film industry.