New Territory: films by Northern Canadians

This screening took place on Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 10:00 pmGlobe Theatre, Atlin BC

Co-presented by Atlin Arts and Music Festival and the Yukon Film Society You Don't Know Jack, Kyle Nixon, YT, 2014, 10 mins What would you do if you couldn’t have a conversation with someone you loved – or even understand what he was thinking? Eighteen year old Kyle Nixon, whose younger brother Jack has autism, has been trying to figure that out for most of his life. It turns out that the answers to his puzzle also offer insight into the value and dignity of every one of us. Enough to Get By, Griffiths/Kuhn/O’Donovan/Barker, YT, 2013, 9 mins Filmed as part of a YUKON48 hour film challenge, this is a story about how the same daily activities that keep us moving forward can also send us spiraling back. Beautifully photographed and directed, this short fiction takes you into the life of a man trying to let go. Self Portrait w Migrane, Kathryn Hepburn, YT, 2013, 2 mins The searing pain of a migraine plays out in this handmade animation by Dawson's Kit Hepburn. Tundra Cowboy, Marc Winkler, NWT, 2013, 18 mins: For Henrik William Seva, herding reindeer is more than a job, it’s a way of life. Henrik is an aboriginal Sami from northern Sweden who comes from a long line of nomadic reindeer herders. But that culture is changing and the traditions of his ancestors are being eclipsed by technology and money. At 49 years of age and disillusioned, Henrik moved to the frozen shores of Canada’s Arctic Ocean to live alone with 3,000 reindeer.Tundra Cowboy shows the intimate bond Henrik has created with the reindeer in Canada and also raises questions about how modern technology changes our relationship with the world around us. Eh to Zed, Dan Sokolowski, YT, 2013, 9 mins: In the first decade of the 20th century, the Grand Trunk Railway constructed a more northern transcontinental railway across Canada.They named each siding along the line in alphabetical order east-to-west between Manitoba and Alberta. No one one knows who was responsible for this. 93 stations were named in the scheme, completing at least five rounds of the alphabet. This became known as “The Alphabet Railway”. The railway, a symbol of the modern, industrial age, was a key component in forging artificial political boundaries across geographical landscapes. The imposition of this alphabetical structure emphasized man's attempt at “mastery” over nature. EH TO ZED illustrates the effects of nature and time on man-made objects across a landscape. 55 of these railstops and sidings were located and recorded on digital image, HD video and black and white hand processed 16mm film.