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The Klabona Keepers film image, co-directors Tamo Campos and Jasper Snow-Rosen

The Klabona Keepers

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The Klabona Keepers is a fierce account of the Tahltan Nation’s struggle to protect the Klabona Sacred Headwaters, an important natural habitat in northwest British Columbia, from commercial mining. The documentary, which premiered at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival this year, intersperses verité cinematography with intimate interviews. It is an in-depth account of the different methods of resistance used by Indigenous elders, which include blockades and tense stand-offs with police and mining industry workers. Powerful moments of reflection are felt throughout the film as the trauma of residential schools and forced relocations are brought to light.

In an ongoing struggle against colonization, the film is continuing a long tradition of filmmakers who have documented Indigenous land defenders, such as Alanis Obomsawin’s Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, and Nettie Wild’s Blockade. The project is a collaboration between non-Indigenous filmmakers and Indigenous elders, who were given ownership of the intellectual property, with all proceeds from the film going towards youth programming at the Klabona Sacred Headwaters.

 

Q&A Oct 3 & Oct 5

 

Rob Stewart Changemaker Screening, with a $5,000 award presented by

 

Media Partner

The Tyee logo 

Community Partner

Directors
Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2022

Language

English

Film Contact
Links
Content Warning

Residential Schools, Drug & Alcohol Abuse

G

Open to youth!

69 min
Documentary Human Rights & Social Justice

Book Tickets

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Credits

Producer

Rhoda Quock

Screenwriter

Bertha Louie, Rita Louie, Rhoda Quock, Mary Quock, Tamo Campos, Jasper Snow-Rosen

Cinematography

Tamo Campos, Jasper Snow-Rosen

ANIM

Michael Mann, Huey Carlick, Peter Jakesta, Rhoda Quock

Editor

Tamo Campos, Jasper Snow-Rosen

Directors

Tamo Campos headshot, The Klabona Keepers co-director

Tamo Campos

Tamo Campos is a filmmaker, impact practitioner, community organizer, and extreme sports athlete. His films include The Klabona Keepers (2022), Ru-Tsu (2020), The Radicals (2018), A Last Stand For Lelu (2016), Northern Grease (2013), and over fifty shorts. Campos embeds himself in the community wherever he goes, and is dedicated to combining social impact with his adventures in sport, activism, and filmmaking. His previous projects have had a strong outreach focus that collaborated deeply with participants within his films. His work has focused on Indigenous land defense, Indigenous health models, climate justice, and anti-racism.

Filmography: Northern Grease (2013)

Jasper Snow-Rosen headshot, The Klabona Keepers co-director

Jasper Snow-Rosen

Jasper Snow Rosen grew up in the southern gulf islands with a family dedicated to youth outdoor education, respecting the land, and being a part of a strong local community. Snow Rosen’s love for the outdoors has had him exploring the coast by kayak, surfing, mountaineering, and facilitating youth programs to give the up-and-coming generation a reason to protect what we have. He has been involved in direct action to advocate for social and environmental justice and helping to lift voices from the front lines through filmmaking.

Filmography: Northern Grease (2013)

Rhoda Quock headshot

Rhoda Quock

Producer

Rhoda Quock is from the Wolf Clan. Her parents are Jenny Quock and Robert Quock. She lives in Iskut, in Tahltan Territory. She was born on April 29, 1971 in Terrace, B.C. and was raised in Iskut. She is the youngest of six siblings. She was taught to go out on the land to camp every summer. Her husband is Peter Jakesta. They have four kids and two grandsons. She is a spokesperson and organizer for the Klabona Keepers. She is also the producer of The Klabona Keepers (2022).