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Mountains and Deserts (12)
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DeserterMichel Murray 1991 19 minIn this short fiction film, the observation satellite Zenon has, on its own, left its assigned orbit and is refusing to send back vital data concerning the Earth's water reserves. Those in charge of the Research Center that sent the satellite up are threatening to destroy this free and intelligent "spirit" if Estelle, the scientist controlling it, cannot make her "friend" see reason. -
Losing BlueLeanne Allison 2023 16 minWhat does it mean to lose a colour? Losing Blue is a cinematic poem about losing the otherworldly blues of ancient mountain lakes, now fading due to climate change. With stunning cinematography, this short doc immerses the viewer in the magnificence of these rare lakes, pulling us in to stand on their rocky shores, witness their power and understand what their loss would mean—both for ourselves and for the Earth.
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Shining Mountains - On the EdgeGuy Clarkson 2005 47 minThis documentary from the Shining Mountains series asks a hard question: are we loving our mountains to death? In this installment, filmmaker Guy Clarkson examines human encroachment in our mountain regions. Between recreation, resource exploitation and residential development, how much pressure the mountains can withstand? Can we save it before it’s too late? The film takes us skiing down virgin slopes with a heli-ski pioneer, hill climb with snowmobilers and ride boundary trails with National Park wardens. We also meet a First Nations chief who sees her tribe's future in the development of a casino and golf course.
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Shining Mountains - The Ancient OnesGuy Clarkson 2005 47 minThis documentary from the Shining Mountains series follows mountain guide, pilot and cinematographer Guy Clarkson on an ecological journey through the Rockies. Clarkson explores the area’s rock, ice, flora and fauna, which have, for eons, adjusted without complaint to every fluctuation in the natural order of things. Since the arrival of Europeans, however, the damage to ecosystems and tribes alike has approached a point of no return. From the glaciers of the Columbia Ice Fields, to the wolf packs of Yellowstone National Park, to the sacred hunting grounds of the Blackfoot nations, Clarkson finds perspective in the wisdom of the experts and elders who know this region best.
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Shining Mountains - Land of RichesGuy Clarkson 2005 47 minThis documentary from the Shining Mountains series explores the discovery of the Rockies by retracing the footsteps of its earliest European visitors. At first nothing more than an obstacle to fur trading, the Rockies became, with the arrival of the first CPR train, an all-too accessible Shangri-La, a playground for Easterners armed with easels, cameras and climbing gear. Here, the filmmaker joins modern-day adventurers and historians to relive these early explorations. It's a journey by dog team, locomotive, canoe and climbing party to the roof of the Canadian Rockies. From there, one can almost see forever, and that's the problem. The future is cause for concern.
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Shining Mountains - Once and Future WildGuy Clarkson 2005 47 minThis documentary from the Shining Mountains series focuses on solutions to the conservation issues facing the Rockies. There, business, government and local residents are getting political and joining forces to ensure that the grizzly, the wolf and the caribou remain at home on their range. The film highlights a coalition known as 'Y2Y' - the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative - whose aim to connect wildlife corridors through half a million square miles, with participation from industry stakeholders. From visits with old-time mountain man Andy Russell, to a Kaska-Dene youngster heading out on his first moose hunt, Clarkson takes heart in the wisdom of those who know best what it means to live in harmony with Nature.
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Small Smoke at Blaze CreekMichael Scott 1971 9 minForest fire in mountainous British Columbia, as experienced by the men who must try to quench it from the air and at close quarters on the ground. Over half of fire outbreaks occur through carelessness, and this film affords a close, vivid view of the result: a whole mountainside turned into a searing, crackling holocaust until nothing remains but gray, desolate waste--mute reproach to all who travel or work in the forests.
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Showa ShinzanAlison Reiko Loader 2002 12 minThis animated film tells the story of a young Japanese girl's relationship with her grandfather, a postmaster and amateur geologist. When the neighboring Mount Usu erupts during World War II, he records its activity. As he witnesses the birth of a new mountain named Showa Shinzan, he transcends the misery and folly of war that surrounds them and teaches his granddaughter a valuable lesson about life. Evoking the tradition of Bunraku puppetry, this animated film is based on actual events.
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Steam, Schemes and National Dreams1984 28 minThis short film tells the story of the creation, in 1885, of Alberta’s Banff National Park. When 3 young prospectors, seeking gold in the Rockies, discovered hot springs similar to those at famous international spas, they were eager to gain ownership of them. A conscientious surveyor, however, recognizing that a discovery of this importance should be preserved for the use and enjoyment of the public, was instrumental in having the springs and surrounding area declared a park. Based on the unpublished memoirs of one of the young prospectors, the story is re-enacted with humor and intercut with scenes of present-day Banff.
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Temples of TimeWilliam Canning 1971 42 minFilmed in the Canadian Rockies and in Garibaldi Park, this documentary features magnificent footage of mountain solitudes and the wildlife found there, of natural splendour in all its changing moods. The film carries the implicit warning that all this may pass away if people do not seek to preserve it. Without words.
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Water for the PrairiesLawrence Cherry 1951 18 minThis 1950s' film looks at the measures to preserve water flow from the Rocky Mountains. With the steady falling of the water table, the exploitation of timber stands and the recession of glaciers, water conservation was an urgent concern of the Alberta and federal governments.
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Wildlife in the RockiesWilliam H. Carrick 1957 13 minAfter many years of careful conservation, Banff and Jasper National Parks have become vast zoological gardens. Deer, moose, bear, big-horn sheep, birds and small animals that live above the treeline are natural subjects for the close-up camera, with a backdrop of snowy peaks.
