World Premiere
Mixing animation with a wealth of archival footage, Chris Auchter’s film explores the 1985 dispute over clearcut logging on Haida Gwaii. On one side are Western Forest Products and Frank Beban Logging, who plan to engage in clearcut logging on Tllga Kun Gwaayaay (Lyell Island) and are supported by the BC government. On the other side is the Haida Nation, which wishes to protect its lands against further destruction. The confrontation involves court proceedings and a blockade, and Auchter takes us from canny retrospective commentary to the thick of the action.
Crucial to The Stand’s political aims is its depiction of simple human grace. The pride and passion of the Haida Nation representatives are foregrounded; especially stirring are spokesperson Miles Richardson, Jr. and the elders who are willing to be arrested for their actions. There is no harsh rhetoric (save for the bloviation of TV commentator Jack Webster, who strenuously supports the loggers); instead, the controversy is marked by a respect that does not at all undermine moral conviction.
Oct 3: Q&A with director Christopher Auchter and producer Shirley Vercruysse
Oct 5: Q&A with director Christopher Auchter
Presented by
Media Partner
Delores Churchill
Canada
2024
In English and Haida with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Shirley Vercruysse
Producer
Shirley Vercruysse
Screenwriter
Christopher Auchter
ANIM
Christopher Auchter
Editor
Sarah Hedar
Original Music
Genevieve Vincent
Christopher Auchter
Christopher Auchter grew up roaming the beaches and forests of the Haida Gwaii. His art is rooted in the land and stories of the Haida people and his practice is fuelled by his close connection to the natural environment, his adventures, and experiences. Auchter studied media arts at Emily Carr University and computer animation at Sheridan College. His work includes contributions to Daniel Janke’s How People Got Fire (2008) and projects with Electronic Arts and Nintendo. He has also illustrated children’s books and graphic novels.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Köln 75
The true story behind the greatest solo concert in jazz history, this is Keith Jarrett's legendary 1975 Köln Concert — as organized by 18-year-old rebel music promoter Vera Brandes. Fun, inventive and feminist, it's the Bend It Like Beckham of jazz films.
Train Dreams
A lovely, ruminative movie set in the Pacific Northwest in the first half of the last century. Robert (Joel Edgerton) is a lumberjack, a taciturn man who comes to appreciate the life slipping between his fingers.
