The Stand
For those in Vancouver area, this is a great opportunity to see The Stand in the theatre in the next couple of weeks. This film features archival footage and animation to explore the 1985 dispute over logging on the southern half of Haida Gwaii. Chris Auchter is a Haida filmmaker who has worked in animation and made several films with the goal of bringing Haida stories to the world. Click the link for dates and times. Also look for his other films online.
https://viff.org/whats-on/the-stand
Sugarcane
Set in Williams Lake area, this is the story of the survivors of the St. Joseph’s Mission school. Filmmaker Julian Brave Noisecat is originally from the Sugarcane reserve and faces his own reckoning with family members as he and fellow filmmaker Emily Kassie delve deeper into the painful legacy of this horrible school. Now streaming on Disney and Hulu
SGaawaay K’uuna
SGaawaay K’uuna or Edge of the Knife came out in 2018 and was the first film ever produced in the Haida language. It’s set in the 1800s, in a time before contact, and tells the story of a man’s transformation into a Gaagiixid after an accident at sea. This wild man flees into the rainforest and villagers try to regain contact after he survives the winter. The film, directed by Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown was made with local actors and was created with huge community input and support. You can rent this movie on Apple TV.
https://www.isuma.tv/movies/eotk