First Nations elders and leaders gather in Sudbury for film premiere
Having grown up in Montreal filmmaker Michael Zelniker says his love of the Boreal forest made him want to know more.
That curiosity sparked inspiration for his latest film, The Issue with Tissue-A Boreal Love Story, which made its world premiere at Cinefest in Greater Sudbury on Sunday afternoon.
“As we travelled across the boreal over 42 days 16,000 trip, we met with more than 50 First Nations elders, leaders, scientists, conservationists. What began as a story about trees and toilet paper evolved and emerged into a story that runs from trees to toilet paper to treaties from carbon to climate change to colonization,” Zelniker told CTV News.
Told in the words and voices of First Nations elders and leaders, along with leading scientists and activists, the film aims to bring awareness to the issues surrounding clear cutting of the Boreal for the manufacturing of toilet paper and what everyone can do to make a difference.
“Basically when you look at the Boreal forest it’s an ecosystem, but all they’re interested in is fibre. Two trees make fibres spruce and jack pine but Boreal’s made up of hundreds of different species. It’s an ecosystem that relies on everything. The song birds are disappearing. The moose are disappearing at a remarkable rate and just to bring awareness to people. We need more allies than foe,” Chief Keeter Corston of Chapleau Cree First Nation said.
The documentary shown Sunday at Cinefest is only a two hour snippet of a five-and-a-half hour planned docu-series that Zelniker hopes will be picked up by a broadcaster or streaming service soon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.