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Distribution

Catalogue

Passage

John Walker
2008 | 1 h 48 min
With a unique blend of dramatic action and behind-the-scenes documentary footage, filmmaker John Walker shares the multi-layered story of British explorer Sir John Franklin and his crew of 128 men, who perished in the Arctic ice during an ill-fated attempt to discover the Northwest Passage, and John Rae, the Scottish doctor who in 1851, discovered their dismal fate. Rae's dark report, which described the crew’s madness and cannibalism, did not sit well with Sir John's widow, Lady Franklin, nor with many others in British society, including Charles Dickens. They waged a bitter public campaign to discredit Rae's version of events and mark an entire nation of northern Inuit with the label of murderous cannibals. A stunning face-to-face meeting between the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens and Tagak Curley, an honoured Inuit statesman who challenges the fraudulent history, vaults the story from the past into the present and we are witness to history in the making.

Awards and distinctions

  • Silver Chris Award (Best of its Division)
    International Film and Video Festival, Columbus
    2009
  • Best Canadian Film
    Television Festival, Banff
    2009
  • Best Picture
    Reel to Real International Film Festival for Youth and Families, Vancouver
    2009
  • Ed Higginson Cinematography Award given to Kent Nason
    Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax
    2008
  • Best Director
    Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax
    2008