The Salt Spring Film Festival takes place from March 3 to 5 at Gulf Islands Secondary School, featuring 30 feature-length documentaries and nearly a dozen short films, many of them presented by the filmmakers themselves.
Full Festival Passes are $50. Other options (half-day, one-day and two-day passes) will be sold at the door during the Festival weekend. Subsidized passes are available by request, thanks to financial support from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 92.
Read the full film festival guide:
Watch all film trailers below:
OPENING NIGHT GALA sponsored by Coast Gallery and Gallery 8
STILL WORKING 9 TO 5
[Dir: Camille Hardman & Gary Lane, USA, 2022, 96 min.]
Friday, March 3, at 7:00 pm at GISS (doors open at 5:30 pm for the Gala dinner).
Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton headline this invigorating documentary in which these three legendary icons of stage and screen revisit their 1980 smash hit comedy “9 to 5” to shine a light on how much – and, unfortunately, how little – has changed for women in the workplace over the past 43 years. Released in 1980 alongside Dolly Parton’s catchy theme song, “9 to 5” became one of the highest-grossing films of the year, shattering the long-held belief that only men could headline a financially successful buddy comedy. Mixed in with plenty of belly laughs and screwball antics, the film delivered a serious message that the indignities and inequalities facing working women were really no joke. Bringing to life with colourful and comedic observations why the original film is still as relevant today as it was over 40 years ago, Still Working 9 to 5 examines the correlation between the cultural inflection point of the original film and the subsequent evolution of women’s rights, tracing the history of the Equal Rights Amendment, the gender pay gap and changing attitudes towards sexual harassment, from Anita Hill to the #MeToo movement. Featuring interviews with Dabney Coleman, Rita Moreno, Allison Janey and many others, this empowering and unapologetically feminist crowd-pleaser was named Best Domestic Feature by the jury of the American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund and won the Audience Choice Award at the Nashville Film Festival.
FEATURE FILMS on SATURDAY & SUNDAY (in alphabetical order):
ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED
[Dir: Laura Poitras, USA, 2022, 122 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 10:00 am in GISS room S206 and Sunday, March 5, at 10:00 am in GISS room S206.
Viewer advisory: sexually explicit scenes and disturbing content.
Photographic artist Nan Goldin documented the AIDS crisis and was featured in art galleries around the world, only to become addicted to opioids following a surgical procedure. After a near-fatal overdose, Goldin dedicated herself to holding the pharmaceutical industry accountable for fueling the drug crisis, organizing a small group of recovering addicts to wage a wildly successful campaign to shame the Sackler Family and bankrupt Purdue Pharma. Named Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, this Oscar-nominated David & Goliath story is directed by Laura Poitras, who won the Oscar for Citizenfour, about Edward Snowden’s exposé of the NSA.
THE AMERICAN DREAM AND OTHER FAIRY TALES
[Dir: Abigail E. Disney & Kathleen Hughes, USA, 2022, 87 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 12:30 pm in the GISS Dance Studio and Sunday, March 5, at 4:15 pm in GISS room N207.
In English and some Spanish with English subtitles.
Filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney grapples with America’s profound inequalities after she encounters Disney World workers struggling to put food on the table. Can she use her famous last name to pressure American corporations to treat low-wage workers more humanely? Examining the story of modern capitalism from the middle of the last century, when wealth was shared more equitably, to today, when CEOs earn upwards of 800 times more than their average employee, she learns about racism and corporate power in an eye-opening, unexpected and inspiring journey that begins to imagine a path to a fairer future for everyone.
ATOMIC HOPE: INSIDE THE PRO-NUCLEAR MOVEMENT
[Dir: Frankie Fenton, Ireland, 2022, 83 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 2:30 pm in GISS room N209.
In English with some French, Spanish, German, Japanese and Polish with English subtitles.
Follow the red-hot data into one of the most contested issues in climate action, as pro-nuclear activists argue that we need to reconsider our concerns about nuclear energy. Supporters argue that nuclear power is the only carbon-neutral technology capable of tackling the climate crisis at any meaningful scale, while the overwhelming majority of environmental groups unequivocally reject it for its potentially catastrophic effects. Thrown out of nearly every climate conference, a small group of scientists, politicians and mothers arm themselves to debate Chernobyl statistics and Fukushima impact reports. Is nuclear power the planet's last real option? Time is running out.
BE MY VOICE
[Dir: Nahid Persson, Sweden/USA/Iran/UK/Norway, 2021, 83 min.]
Sunday, March 5, at 12:30 pm in GISS room N207.
Guest speakers: Maryam Malekpour & Maziar Ghaderi.
In English & Farsi with English subtitles.
Journalist and activist Masih Alinejad is the social media voice for millions of Iranian women rebelling against the forced hijab. Leading one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in today’s Iran, Masih uses her freedom in exile to amplify protests in her home country as the regime tightens its grip to regain control. Dissident Iranian journalists living abroad have long been harassed; some have even been kidnapped and killed. Although she lives in the US, Masih continues to receive death threats from the Iranian regime, and her courage is tested when violence and oppression threaten her own family members.
BEFORE THEY FALL
[Dir: Cam MacArthur, Canada, 2021, 40 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 2:30 pm in the GISS Dance Studio and Sunday, March 5, at 2:30 pm in GISS room N205.
A decades-long battle to protect endangered old-growth forests in BC violently escalates at Fairy Creek – the last unprotected, intact valley on Southern Vancouver Island – when Indigenous people, conservationists and scientists come together to block a logging company from accessing unceded Pacheedaht Territory, leading to a tense standoff with the RCMP.
BEYOND EXTINCTION: SINIXT RESURGENCE
[Dir: Ali Kazimi, Canada, 2022, 102 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 10:00 am in GISS room N205 and Sunday, March 5, at 10:00 am in GISS room N209.
In English and Snslxcin with English subtitles.
Declared “extinct” by the Indian Act, Sinixt Elders revive traditions and fight to save an ancient burial ground in BC’s Slocan Valley. Along with remarkable historical footage shot in the BC Interior, this film shows a side of colonialism that few British Columbians are aware of, documenting the intimate living histories of the Sinixt and their decades-long struggle for recognition. Mixing observational footage, contemporary interviews, oral histories and survival stories told by Indigenous Matriarchs with personal and public archives, the film gives us vital perspective on our collective place on this land and how we choose to fight for our legacies.
THE BOYS WHO SAID NO!
[Dir: Judith Ehrlich, USA, 2020, 90 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 4:15 pm in GISS room N207 and Sunday, March 5, at 2:30 pm in GISS room S208.
The nationwide resistance to the Vietnam War draft was one of the largest social movements in American history. Inspired by the Civil Rights movement, young Americans openly refused military service, risking prison to end the horrors of war. This fascinating documentary about the lengths a government will go to in order to keep a war machine running features archival interviews with such outspoken peaceniks as Joan Baez, and illustrates that the ways in which standing up for what one believes in – using both active and passive protest – is perhaps the most courageous thing that anyone can do.
CATEGORY: WOMAN
[Dir: Phyllis Ellis, Canada, 2022, 80 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 12:30 pm in GISS room N207.
Preceded by the short film THE DEBORA EFFECT, with film subject Debora De Napoli in attendance.
In English, Swahili and Hindi with English subtitles.
With some women's naturally high androgen levels deemed a performance advantage, the International Amateur Athletics Federation rules that in order to compete, these athletes must medically alter their healthy bodies. This denial of fundamental human rights smacks of racism, given that most of them are women of colour. Focusing on four athletes forced out of competition by these regulations, Phyllis Ellis – who directed Toxic Beauty, which we screened in 2020 – exposes a male-dominated industry putting women's lives at risk, while the ongoing policing of women's bodies in sport remains, in a more nefarious way, under the guise of “fair play.”
A CEDAR IS LIFE
[Dir: Harold C. Joe, Leslie D. Bland & C. Gavin Andrews, Canada, 2022, 92 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 10:00 am in the GISS Dance Studio and Sunday, March 5, at 10:00 am in GISS room N205.
Filmmakers in attendance: Harold C. Joe & Leslie D. Bland.
Weaving together interviews with Indigenous Elders from Cowichan to Haida Gwaii – including totem and mask carvers, medicinal harvesters, canoe makers, cedar bark weavers, and those working with traditional foods – this illuminating documentary examines how one critical species is central to the cultural life of West Coast First Nations. The evolution of artistic practice is investigated, exploring the difference between modern techniques and traditional methods. Hands-on practitioners speak to how all parts of the cedar tree were – and still are – made use of. Woven throughout is the image of Cedar Woman, based on Cowichan legend, highlighting the importance of cedar’s spirit.
DANCING PINA
[Dir: Florian Heinzen-Ziob, Germany, 2022, 111 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 10:00 am in GISS room S208 and Sunday, March 5, at 10:00 am in GISS room S208.
In English, French, German, and Portuguese with English subtitles.
Celebrate the art of groundbreaking German choreographer Pina Bausch (1940–2009) and the people who approach her work today with this visually intense and emotional journey into the world of modern dance. Bausch revolutionized modern dance, but what remains of her legacy? Two disparate dance groups are contrasted – a classical company in Dresden and an African dance centre in Senegal – as dancers from street dance, classical ballet and both traditional and contemporary African dance transform Bausch’s work under the guidance of former dancers from her own company. Bausch’s choreographies transform the dancers, leaving the audience breathless from their remarkable energy.
A FIRE INSIDE
[Dir: Justin Krook & Luke Mazzaferro, Australia, 2021, 91 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 12:30 pm in GISS room S208 and Sunday, March 5, at 4:15 pm in GISS room N205.
Viewer advisory: intense and disturbing scenes.
Three months after a volunteer firefighter drives his car into almost certain death during the worst fires in Australian history, the fires are out but his nightmares are just beginning. What’s tormenting him, however, isn’t just the memory of flames. From a country-wide emergency to the astonishing stories that emerged of selfless acts of ordinary citizens defining the spirit of a nation, this inspirational look at how people respond to crisis and its true cost to the human spirit has won multiple prizes at film festivals around the world and was awarded the Gold Plaque from the Australian Cinematographers Society.
FRAMING AGNES
[Dir: Chase Joynt, USA/Canada, 2022, 75 min.]
Sunday, March 5, at 12:30 pm in GISS room N209.
A cast of transgender actors turn a talk show inside out to confront the legacy of a young trans woman forced to choose between honesty and access. In search of gender-affirming care, Agnes entered a UCLA study about sex disorders in 1958. Her story was long considered to be exceptional until case files of other patients surfaced in 2017. Featuring an all-trans cast, Framing Agnes uses re-enactment and genre-blurring storytelling techniques to breathe new life into people who redefined gender in mid-century America. Named Best Documentary at Belgrade’s Merlinka Festival and awarded prizes at Sundance and at Norway’s Bergen IFF.
FRANKLIN
[Dir: Kasimir Burgess, Australia, 2022, 91 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 4:15 pm in GISS room N205 and Sunday, March 5, at 10:00 am in GISS room S212.
Eighth-generation environmentalist Oliver Cassidy embarks on a life-changing solo rafting trip down the Franklin River in the remote Tasmanian rainforest, retracing his late father’s 14-day expedition to attend the blockade that saved the World Heritage national park from being destroyed by a huge hydroelectric dam project. The eight-year campaign to save the Franklin in the 1980s – which resulted in the government being ousted – was the largest environmental protest in Australia's history, an inspiring example of the power of non-violent direct action to bring about lasting change. Nominated for three Australian Oscars, for Best Documentary, Best Editing and Best Sound.
HANDLE WITH CARE: THE LEGEND OF THE NOTIC STREETBALL CREW
[Dir: Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux & Kirk Thomas, Canada, 2021, 86 min.]
Sunday, March 5, at 2:30 pm in GISS room N207.
Chronicling the rise and fall and re-birth of Vancouver’s legendary “Notic” street basketball crew, this fast-paced and entertaining film brings to light a group largely unknown even in their hometown. As their creative basketball moves brought them global fame as teenagers, this upstart streetball collective challenged the status quo in a battle involving self-expression, race and rejection. Driven by a 20-year quest to complete their unfinished mixtape trilogy, this group of friends played outside the confines of the NBA yet still left an indelible imprint on the game. Nominated for four Leo Awards and two Directors Guild of Canada Awards.
As no trailer exists for this film, watch a CityNews Vancouver clip instead:
THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST
[Dir: Matt Sarnecki, Denmark/Czech Republic, 2022, 102 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 10:00 am in GISS room S212.
In English and Slovak with English subtitles. Viewer advisory: disturbing scenes.
The brutal murder of a young investigative journalist and his fiancée inspire the biggest street protests in Slovakia since the fall of Communism. When secret case files and encrypted communications are leaked to the murdered journalist’s colleagues, they uncover a vast web of corruption reaching the highest levels of Slovak society, as the alleged mastermind turns out to be a businessman closely connected to the country’s ruling party of oligarchs. A reckoning awaits. Winner of the Truth Award at Kosovo’s Dokufest, received a Special Mention at the Zurich Film Festival and named Best Human Rights Documentary at Norway’s Bergen IFF.
KLABONA KEEPERS
[Dir: Tamo Campos & Jasper Snow-Rosen, Canada, 2022, 69 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 2:30 pm in GISS room N207 and Sunday, March 5, at 2:30 pm in GISS room S206.
Overcoming forced displacement and residential school trauma, Indigenous Elders implement various methods of resistance to protect their land, demonstrating what is possible when a small but dedicated group takes a stand. Winner of an Audience Award at VIFF, this love letter to the land and testament to the resilience of the Tahltan people depicts tense stand-offs with police and the mining industry in the struggle to protect the Klabona Sacred Headwaters, an important natural habitat in northwest BC. Tamo Campos & Jasper Snow-Rosen co-directed Northern Grease, which we screened in 2014, and Tamo co-directed The Radicals, which we screened in 2018.
LAST FLIGHT HOME
[Dir: Ondi Timoner, USA, 2022, 106 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 10:00 am in GISS room N207 and Sunday, March 5, at 10:00 am in GISS room N207.
Guest speaker: Jean Burgess, Coordinator: SSI Community Response Network.
In the 1970s, Eli Timoner founded the fastest growing airline in the world, a modern-day success story built on the power of human connection, only to be paralyzed for the next 40 years following a stroke. When California legalizes assisted suicide, Timoner’s determination to end his own life is depicted through stunning vérité footage as his loving and well-loved family gathers to say goodbye, demonstrating grace and courage as they open their lives to offer an enlightening view of a universal experience. Shortlisted for the Oscars and awarded prizes at multiple festivals, including Best Documentary at the Woodstock and Dallas IFFs.
LOVE IN THE TIME OF FENTANYL
[Dir: Colin Askey, Canada, 2022, 80 min.]
Sunday, March 5, at 12:30 pm in GISS room S208.
Film subject in attendance: Ronnie Grigg, Founder & Executive Director: Zero Block Society.
A group of misfits, artists and drug users operates a renegade safe injection site in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. As overdose deaths reach an all-time high, the Overdose Prevention Society does whatever it takes to save lives and keep hope alive. This intimate portrait of a neighbourhood under siege looks beyond the stigma to profile drug users and recovering addicts committed to looking out for one another. Named Best Documentary at the Durham Region IFF, won the People’s Choice Award at Thunder Bay’s Vox Popular Media Arts Festival, and Colin Askey was named Best Director of a Canadian Documentary at DOXA.
LOVING HIGHSMITH
[Dir: Eva Vitija, Switzerland/Germany, 2022, 83 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 2:30 pm in GISS room S206.
In English, German and French with English subtitles.
The life, loves and work of American author Patricia Highsmith (1921–95) are told through unpublished diaries, her own voice and that of those who knew her, both family and close friends. Casting a new light on the prolific thriller writer's oeuvre, permeated by themes of love and its defining influence on her identity, this vivid portrait’s mosaic-like construction evokes Highsmith’s unusually complex triangle of literary drive, personal frustrations and public image. Not well known as a public figure, Highsmith was the groundbreaking author behind such films as Strangers on a Train, The Talented Mr. Ripley and the Oscar-nominated Carol.
MAMA BEARS
[Dir: Daresha Kyi, USA, 2022, 90 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 4:15 pm in GISS room S212 and Sunday, March 5, at 2:30 pm in GISS room N209.
They call one another “mama bears” because of the ferocity with which they fight for their children’s rights. Although they grew up as evangelical Christians praying for the souls of LGTBQ people, these mothers have changed their political and ideological views for the sake of their queer kids and are now willing to risk losing friends, family and faith communities to keep their children safe – even if it challenges their belief systems and rips their worlds apart. Named Best Documentary at FilmOut San Diego and the Sun Valley Film Festival, winner of the Local Heroes Competition at the Cleveland IFF.
MY IMAGINARY COUNTRY (Mi país imaginario)
[Dir: Patricio Guzmán, Chile/France, 2022, 83 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 2:30 pm in GISS room S208 and Sunday, March 5, at 4:15 pm in GISS room S212.
In Spanish with English subtitles.
One day, without warning, a revolution exploded: one and a half million people in the streets of Santiago demanding justice, education, health care and a new constitution to replace the rules imposed on the country by Pinochet. Featuring harrowing front-line protest footage and interviews with dynamic activist leaders, this urgent and inspiring film by master documentarian Patricio Guzmán powerfully connects Chile's complex, bloody history to contemporary revolutionary social movements and the election of a new president. Winner of the “In Spirit of Freedom” Award for Best Documentary at the Jerusalem Film Festival and nominated for the Golden Eye at Cannes.
NELLY & NADINE
[Dir: Magnus Gertten, Sweden/Belgium/Norway, 2022, 93 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 12:30 pm in GISS room S212.
In English, Swedish, French and Spanish with English subtitles.
This engaging story pieces together an astonishing love affair between two women. Nelly Mousset-Vos was an opera singer in Paris, known to frequent Natalie Clifford Barney's literary salon in 1930s. Nadine Hwang was the daughter of a Chinese ambassador to Spain. They met on Christmas Eve, 1944, in the hell of Ravensbrück concentration camp and begin a relationship that would see their way to freedom in another world. Arising from the discovery of a trove of diary entries, photographs and private films, this unforgettable testament to two women who were determined to be truly free won the Teddy Award at Berlinale.
OKAY! THE ASD BAND FILM
[Dir: Mark Bone, Canada, 2022, 86 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 2:30 pm in GISS room S212 and Sunday, March 5, at 4:15 pm in the GISS Dance Studio.
Meet the talented, autistic musicians of the ASD Band: piano prodigy Ron, with an impeccable memory for reciting the correct day for any date in history; lead singer Rawan, who can hit an impressively high pitch; Spenser, energetic drummer with an affinity for punk rock; and guitarist Jackson, who loves all things 1950s. After releasing a number of covers, the band embarks upon the challenging journey of writing their first album of original music. Garage sessions segue to the recording studio, where for the first time each member shares original compositions while gearing up to perform their first live show.
PLEISTOCENE PARK
[Dir: Luke Griswold-Tergis, USA, 2022, 101 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 10:00 am in GISS room N209.
In English and Russian with English subtitles.
Seeking no one's help and asking nobody's permission, larger-than-life Russian geophysicist Sergey Zimov and his son, Nikita, are gathering any large woolly beast they can get their hands on and transporting them – by whatever low-budget means they can contrive – to the most remote corner of Siberia. The goal is to restore the Ice Age “mammoth steppe” ecosystem and avoid a catastrophic feedback loop leading to runaway global warming. Can two Russian scientists stave off a worst-case scenario of global environmental catastrophe and reshape humanity's relationship with the natural world? There’s definitely an element of Monty Python in this engaging crowd-pleaser.
REVIVAL69: THE CONCERT THAT ROCKED THE WORLD
[Dir: Ron Chapman, Canada/France, 2022, 97 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 12:30 pm in GISS room S206 and Sunday, March 5, at 12:30 pm in the GISS Dance Studio.
In 1969, three music festivals changed the world, including the second most important event in rock 'n' roll history, a one-day event held at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium – the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival – which may have inadvertently led to the breakup of the The Beatles. This unbelievable documentary boasts a series of colourful characters, murky deals and broken promises, culminating in a struggling young promoter literally putting his life on the line. The astonishing line-up included Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Gene Vincent, The Doors, Alice Cooper and John Lennon with the newly-formed Plastic Ono Band.
THE SMELL OF MONEY
[Dir: Shawn Bannon, USA, 2022, 85 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 4:15 pm in GISS room N209 and Sunday, March 5, at 12:30 pm in GISS room S212.
Filmmaker in attendance: Jamie Berger.
A century after her grandfather claimed his freedom from slavery, Elsie Herring and her North Carolina community fight for their right to enjoy fresh air, clean water and a life without the stench of manure. Examining not only how and why hog waste is killing innocent people, but also environmental racism, corporate malfeasance and global warming, this documentary follows residents engaged in a nine-year legal battle against the largest pork producer in North America. Named Best Documentary at the Sarasota Film Festival and at Brooklyn’s Bushwick Film Festival, and named Best Life & Liberty Film at Birmingham’s Sidewalk Film Festival.
SUBJECT
[Dir: Camilla Hall & Jennifer Tiexiera, USA, 2022, 93 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 12:30 pm in GISS room N209 and Sunday, March 5, at 4:15 pm in GISS room N209.
Have you ever wondered what happens to people featured in documentaries after the cameras stop rolling? Unpacking the ethics and responsibility inherent in nonfiction filmmaking, some of most successful films and series of the past three decades – including Hoop Dreams, The Staircase, The Wolfpack, The Square and Capturing the Friedmans – are placed under the microscope, revealing their impact on the lives of the onscreen participants. Nominated for Best Documentary at Tribeca and the Palm Springs IFF and for Best International Documentary at the Calgary IFF. Co-director Jennifer Tiexiera also co-directed P.S. Burn This Letter Please, which we screened last year.
A SYMPHONY FOR A COMMON MAN (Sinfonia de um Homem Comum)
[Dir: José Joffily, Brazil, 2022, 83 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 4:15 pm in GISS room S206 and Sunday, March 5, at 2:30 pm in GISS room S212.
In English & Portuguese with English subtitles.
Brazilian diplomat José Bustani – the first general director of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons – holds information that could be pivotal in lifting sanctions against Iraq and pre-empting the war on terror. As Bustani attempts to bring Iraq into the fold of OPCW, the United States insists on the existence of weapons of mass destruction and private oil companies clamour for action against Iraq. Then 9/11 opens the door to discredit and oust Bustani, paving the way to war. In this up-close and personal documentary, Bustani revisits the chilling and preventable events leading to the invasion of Iraq.
TZOUHALEM
[Dir: Leslie D. Bland & Harold C. Joe, Canada, 2021, 52 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 2:30 pm in GISS room N205.
Filmmakers in attendance: Leslie D. Bland & Harold C. Joe.
Chief of the Cowichan First Nation during the mid-1800s, Tzouhalem is arguably one of the most fascinating and polarizing figures in Canadian history. A matter of historic record, his story is the subject of legend. Many landmarks on Cowichan territory are named after him. Through his strength of character and mystical powers, Tzouhalem subdued his rivals and transformed himself into the most powerful Indigenous leader in the Pacific Northwest, before succumbing to his own immorality. Nominated for two Leo Awards, this documentary examines Tzouhalem’s life from both historians and Indigenous Elders, revealing how his legend remains alive to this day.
UNARCHIVED
[Dir: Hayley Gray & Elad Tzadok, Canada, 2022, 84 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 4:15 pm in GISS room S208 and Sunday, March 5, at 12:30 pm in GISS room S206.
Filmmakers in attendance: Hayley Gray & Elad Tzadok.
In community archives across BC, local knowledge-keepers are hand-fashioning more inclusive histories to reveal some of what has been erased from the official records. Through a collage of personal interviews, archival footage and deeply rooted memories, the past, present and future come together, fighting for a space where everyone is seen and everyone belongs. History is what we all make of it. Featuring interviews with curators and archivists from traditionally marginalized populations – including Indigenous, Asian, Indo-Canadian and the gay & trans community – we learn secret, neglected and previously untold stories of this diverse province that we only think we know.
VOICES ACROSS THE WATER
[Dir: Fritz Mueller, Canada, 2022, 84 min.]
Saturday, March 4, at 4:15 pm in the GISS Dance Studio and Sunday, March 5, at 12:30 pm in GISS room N205.
Filmmaker in attendance: Teresa Earle.
In English with some unsubtitled French and Tlingit, both spoken and sung.
Alaskan Tlingit Wayne Price and Yukon francophone Halin de Repentigny are among the last canoe builders. At a glance, these two men lead very different lives, but they are connected as practitioners of the disappearing art of traditional canoe construction. Both are also visual artists of significant repute, with their life's work rooted in the landscapes of their distinct cultures, reflecting on a life rich in experience and accomplishment at an age when people also think about legacy and succession. Follow these two master boat builders as they practise their art and find a way back to balance and healing.
Media sponsorship of the 2023 Salt Spring Film Festival is provided by the Salt Spring Exchange.
