Address
2 Second Beach Rd
Skidegate
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Join us for a FREE screening of ‘THE KLABONA KEEPERS” in Skidegate — including snacks & refreshments, and a discussion with Tāhltān Elders after the film.
Friday February 24th – 7:00 PM – Haida Heritage Centre
Feature documentary “The Klabona Keepers”, which documents a decades-long matriarch-led resistance against resource extraction companies in the Klabona Sacred Headwaters of Northern BC, is set to screen in Skidegate on February 24th, 2023. Elders from the Tāhltān Nation will travel to Skidegate to attend the screening and share stories from the front lines; where they successfully protected their territory from some of the world’s largest multinational mining and oil companies.
Directed by veteran filmmakers Tamo Campos and Jasper Snow Rosen and produced by Iskut elder Rhoda Quock, the film was created over seven years and weaves together 15 years of footage that ranges from tense standoffs with industry and police to intimate moments with Tāhltān youth on the land. “The Klabona Keepers” is a love letter to the land and a testament to the resilience of the Tāhltān people. Overcoming forced displacement and residential school trauma, the Klabona Keepers show what is possible when a small but dedicated group takes a stand.
“I’m just hoping that it’s inspired people to do the same for a place that’s valuable to their people. And to let them know that no fight is too big. When we first started, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. We didn’t know how we were going to win, but we knew we weren’t going to lose.” – Rhoda Quock, Klabona Keepers Producer
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.
The film will screen on Friday, Feb 24th at the Haida Heritage Centre performance house in Skidegate, and Sunday Feb 26th at Tluu X̲aada Naay / Christian’s Longhouse in Old Massett (details in a separate FB event). The screenings are a rare opportunity to hear directly from Klabona Keepers and Tāhltān Elders.
Learn more about the film at www.klabonakeepers.com
Co-sponsors of this screening are the Haida Gwaii Media Collective (funded by Grand Challenges Canada / Indigenous Innovation Initiative), Skidegate Youth Centre, XaaydaGa Dlaang Society & the Healthy Haidas initiative, and Swiilawiid Sustainability Society.