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British Columbia (11)
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"Ah... the Money, the Money, the Money" - The Battle for SaltspringMort Ransen 2001 50 min"Saltspring Island... close to a city, but full of magical, almost untouched places. A small town with a Saturday market. And in the middle of the island... trees, lots of trees." When the roar of chainsaws shatters the quiet of this idyllic setting, director Mort Ransen and other residents awake to an unexpected intrusion. A logging operation is underway in a central pristine valley. Within hours, a group of islanders rallies to oppose the cutting--only to discover that a logging company has purchased one of the largest expanses of undeveloped wilderness in the Southern Gulf Islands. Concerned about its potentially devastating impact on Saltspring's ecology, economy and natural beauty, the residents set out to stop the logging. The award-winning director of Margaret's Museum, Mort Ransen, turns his camera on his own community to document a lively and provocative debate. On one side--the developers, who defend their right to do what they want on private land. On the other--Saltspring residents, who blockade roads, chain themselves to logging trucks and lobby government to protect their island. -
Battle for the TreesJohn Edginton 1993 57 minThis documentary examines the battle strategies of citizens, scientists, loggers, environmentalists and First Nations people who are fighting over the liquidation of public forests and, with it, a way of life.
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Bill Reid RemembersAlanis Obomsawin 2021 24 minBill Reid Remembers is a beautiful tribute from Alanis Obomsawin to her friend’s remarkable life and rich legacy. Despite spending his early life away from his nation’s culture, renowned Haida artist Bill Reid always kept Haida Gwaii close to his heart. While working for CBC Radio, he started learning how to make jewelry, then later sculpture, using Haida techniques and images, a move that would forever change his life and the Canadian artistic landscape. Reid’s powerful narration in the film—interspersed with Obomsawin’s own—recounts his complex childhood, his emergence as an accomplished artist, and his profound connection to his homeland. Decades after his passing, Bill Reid remains an enduring force and one of Canada’s greatest artists.
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Eye Witness No. 131949 10 minLumber Tugs Buck Flood-Swollen Fraser: Every spring small, maneuverable tugboats haul heavy log booms down the swift Fraser River to the lumber mills of Vancouver and New Westminster. Spring Round-up in B.C.: On the rolling hills of central British Columbia gawky new lambs take their first look at the world; skilled sheep dogs drive flocks down to the shearing pens; cowhands ride the range in the annual cattle round-up for branding and inoculating.
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Eye Witness No. 21948 10 minCanada takes her seat on the United Nations Security Council and speeches by delegates are heard. Following scenes at Lake Success are scenes of British Columbia's Pacific slope, where, through the enterprise of a family of new Canadians, once worthless stands of hemlock are turned into a resource of immense value and usefulness.
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Forest WardensAllen Stark 1955 30 minA story of British Columbia's vast forest industry and the measures being taken to preserve it. Fred Davis interviews men whose main concern is forest conservation. Education of the public in the need for protecting their valuable heritage against fire is well demonstrated in the activities of the Province's junior forest wardens and the South Vancouver Island Rangers.
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The Forests and Vladimir KrajinaTom Radford 1978 29 minVisually seductive, this film uncovers a few hard truths under the packaging. Dr. Vladimir Krajina, botanist and teacher, is waging a successful battle in British Columbia for the creation of ecological reserves. He explains the importance of such sanctuaries and why people must know and respect nature's laws if the future needs of industry and the desire for a high quality of life are to be reconciled.
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Small Smoke at Blaze CreekMichael Scott 1971 9 minForest fire in mountainous British Columbia, as experienced by the men who must try to quench it from the air and at close quarters on the ground. Over half of fire outbreaks occur through carelessness, and this film affords a close, vivid view of the result: a whole mountainside turned into a searing, crackling holocaust until nothing remains but gray, desolate waste--mute reproach to all who travel or work in the forests.
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Treasure of the ForestRoger Blais 1958 12 minFrom the Canada Carries On series, this archival film is about the industries that draw their wealth from the raw material supplied by Canada's forests. Filmed in the rain forests of the British Columbia coast, it shows how giant conifers are felled, transported by water routes to sawmills and cut into lumber or reduced to Canada's greatest single export, newsprint. Realization of the need for conservation has led to an extensive program of aerial stocktaking and a system of planned cutting and reforestation.
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The Water DwellersGordon Sparling 1963 15 minThis short documentary introduces us to a town where no one pays rent: Simoom Sound in central British Columbia, where loggers live on sturdy river craft. Every week there are visitors: the general storekeeper, the flying postman and most importantly, the forest ranger, who is ever alert to the threat of fire.
