The Fraser River Journey debuts on television
Robert Broad, Producer/Director, LIDC Media Design, rhbroad@sfu.ca, 604.762.8011
Fiona Burrows, Community Relations (PAMR), fiona@sfu.ca, 778.782.3928
The Fraser River Journey documentary film produced by SFU’s Learning & Instructional Development Centre's Media Design group will make its television debut on the CBC at 5 p.m., Sunday, June 21, as part of the network’s National Aboriginal Day programming.
The captivating film follows a group of 12 aboriginal youths from all over British Columbia on a raft trip down the Fraser River. Wielding tiny but high-powered waterproof video cameras, they set out to document their adventures on one of the most stunning, diverse, and dangerous river systems in the world. In the process, they learned important things about their province, their heritage and themselves.
The film is set in the context of the bicentennial of Simon Fraser's 1808 exploration of the river that now bears his name, providing both a historical point of reference and an opportunity to take a hard look at the past, present and future of aboriginal life in B.C.
“We initially set out to commemorate Simon Fraser’s exploration of the river, but we soon realized there’s a much larger and more meaningful story to tell,” says producer/director Robert Broad. “European-Canadians have known about this river and region for two centuries now, but the First Nations communities have been living there for much, much longer than that. We see this project as just one attempt to hear some of their perspectives on the region’s history.”
“It’s not just a movie about a river. By giving these youth the tools, in this case a video camera, it gave them a voice to tell their stories and discoveries of the river, cultures and languages during the journey.”
LIDC Media Design produces award-winning original educational content in a wide range of areas, from local biographical and historical films to feature-length broadcast documentaries tackling important contemporary social issues with a national and international reach.
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Ally
I saw the film last summer and everything about it was outstanding! The youth are engaging and I particularly enjoyed the footage of the Fraser River and the beautiful land that surrounds it -- it made me want to explore more of this gorgeous province! Definitely worth watching! Great job, SFU!