Story of Okanagan rebel Eddy Haymour to premiere at film fest

A strange piece of Okanagan history is making its debut on the big screen next month, and the film's trailer was released Monday.

A private island, a man's lofty dream, a government conspiracy and acts of terrorism – the Eddy Haymour story has it all.

Eddy Haymour emigrated to Canada from Lebanon in 1955, and in 1971, he bought Rattlesnake Island, located across Okanagan Lake from Peachland. He had big plans to turn it into a desert theme park, complete with a mini-golf course and a concrete camel that dispensed ice cream out of its mouth.

The island is now part of Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park, but the story of how it got to be that way is a long and convoluted one, that involved a 15-year battle with the government, the break-up of Haymour's marriage, a court-ordered stay at the Riverview mental health facility, a return to his home in Lebanon where he held the Canadian embassy hostage in protest, and finally, a win against the government in BC Supreme Court that saw him awarded more than $100,000 in 1986.

In the ruling, the judge ruled the government “improperly (used) its power to stop the development” of the island. 

Vancouver-based Artaban Productions produced a short documentary about the wild story several years ago as part of its Vancouver Was Awesome series, but next month, they'll be premiering a full length documentary on the story, featuring Eddy Haymour himself, at the Victoria Film Festival.

“When I saw the island, I fell in love with it,” Haymour said in the film's trailer.

As part of the documentary, Haymour goes back to Rattlesnake Island, and even lobbies Premier John Horgan to get the island back.

“My goal was to put the audience in an awkward position: a closeness to both a perpetrator of violence and a victim of a conspiracy," said director Greg Crompton. "It was key that the audience get all the necessary information to pass judgement. I wanted the audience to feel conflicted as to how they ultimately viewed Eddy."

Eddy's Kingdom makes its world premiere at the Victoria Film Festival on Feb. 11, followed by a second showing on Feb. 13.

Crompton, who grew up in Kelowna himself, said they'll be looking to get the film on the festival circuit through the spring and summer, and if all goes to plan, they'll be looking to have a few screenings in the Okanagan by next September.