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Tribal Canoe Journey

by | Nov 23, 2014 | Uncategorized

This 5 min. film captures the K’omoks First Nation welcoming ceremony of the annual Tribal Canoe Journey. This event brings together First Nations from Bella Bella BC to Washington State.  For over 20 years, the Tribal Journeys have transformed thousands of youth. It has helped them to reconnect to their culture and heritage and has strengthened their confidence as contemporary First Nation people with a longstanding history. Paddlers follow the routes of their ancestors and learn that the oceans provide an abundance of both food and spiritual connection for every community on the Pacific Coast. Canoe journeys have led to a wide-spread awareness of the fragility of marine ecosystems. Over 100 Nations have declared a ban on tar sands pipelines and tankers in their territories  FMI...

24 Hour Drum, Back Again

by | Jun 24, 2022 | Uncategorized

Another adventure for the Indigenous Leadership group in the Sea to Sky region of British Columbia (Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation). Students from Squamish, Brackendale, Whistler, and Pemberton gather to hike, drum, sing, dance, and celebrate their culture. These youth are the future of reconciliation. carswellfilm.ca Produced by School District...

Kus-Kus-sum Production Promo (:26 seconds, 2022)

by | Jan 24, 2022 | Uncategorized

Currently in production  –  Ed Carswell is directing a film on the Kus-kus-sum habitat restoration coordinated by Project Watershed. The film will weave K’omoks First Nation history alongside the work of transforming an industrial site back to a vibrant natural part of the K’omoks Estuary.  A key filmmaking component will be to capture engaging interviews and work them seamlessly into the action on the ground. The vision is to create a vibrant and productive habitat and connect it to Hollyhock Flats, which is adjacent to the site and one of the most productive areas in the K’ómoks Estuary. Project Watershed will need raise $6.5 million, remove 8.3 acres of concrete, recontour and replant with native species. ] The site was purchased from Interfor in November 2020 and is being held by Project Watershed in trust for the K’ómoks First Nation and the City of Courtenay. The City of Courtenay and the K’ómoks First Nation will be on title as joint owners in the near...

24 Hour Drum – Going Strong (32 min. 2021)

by | Jan 24, 2022 | Uncategorized

A “weird” school year with Covid didn’t stop the Indigenous Leadership students from finding their voices and celebrating their culture.  Six schools dance, sing, drum and speak to issues of oppression, white privilege, white fragility, and micro-aggressions. This film celebrates a full year of cultural revitalization in Mount Currie, Pemberton, Squamish, Brakendale, and Whistler, BC.  Pique Newsmagazine. May 22 2021 The beat of the 24 Hour Drum sounds across B.C. with a new 32-minute documentary: 24 Hour Drum, Going Strong. Grade 11 Pemberton Secondary Student (PSS) Chenielle Qamu’ea7 Wallace had never seen a 24 Hour Drum, School District 48’s annual, student-led celebration of Indigenous culture and language, before last week.  It’s an event that, until the pandemic, would pack school gymnasiums with students, educators and Indigenous leaders from across the Sea to Sky eager to share the traditional songs, dances, and, of course, drumming of the Lil’wat and Squamish Nations.  Along with students from every public school in the district, the event was beamed into classrooms across the province, making it the farthest reaching 24 Hour Drum yet. “That is one of the gains of doing it on Zoom,” said Karen LaRochelle, district principal of Indigenous education. “People from outside the district can always access the link on the website in the future, but this was interactive with each other, and we would love to grow that.”  The more than 110 streamers heard traditional songs like the Lil’wat’s “Groundhog Song” and “Women’s Warrior Song,” the Squamish Nation’s “Water Song” and drumming from Don Ross Middle School students. But the event also served as an important forum for difficult discussions on matters of systemic...

Think Big – Protecting Natural Systems in the Rocky Mountains

by | Feb 12, 2020 | Uncategorized

Think Big - Protecting Natural Systems in the Rocky Mountains - Directed by Ed Carswell, Produced by Friends of Kananaskis Country (1997) Produced by The Friends of Kananaskis Country 11 Sequences (2000): • Biodiversity - an introduction  • Ark of Biodiversity - Why is it important?  • Extinction Events - Losing 150 species a day  • Conservation Biology - Habitat loss (3:44) • Design-a-Park - Are our parks working?  • Think Big! - Protecting Ecosystems  • Overpasses, Underpasses & Corridors  • Playing with a Full Deck - Population & Genetics  • Indicator Species - Each species has a role  • Yellowstone to Yukon - Connecting Ecosystems  • Take Action!  Spacemen in the Rockies? Noah's Ark and Pink Flamingoes? Our flamboyant host leads us through the challenges facing conservation biologists in the Rocky Mountains. With a mix of science and interpretation, this video is a perfect teaching tool for junior high schools, outdoor educators and community groups....