Muskeg Special was one of the first 'official' Winnipeg Film Group productions back in 1979 when a group of intrepid independents ventured North with a 16mm Arriflex and the curiosity to discover what life was like in small communities along the Hudson Bay Rail line. That summer also marked the 50th Anniversary of completion of the rail line from The Pas to Churchill (approximately 510 miles) providing a reference point for the journey.
For complicated reasons, the work print was eventually consigned to storage. In 2006, director Gregory Zbitnew decided to return to Winnipeg, after living in Vancouver for 20 years, determined to find a way to finally make a movie from the original footage. With the assistance of several agencies and many helpful individuals the film has been digital restored, and subsequently edited into a feature-length documentary