The Film: The Stand
Join us for another Indigeneity event curated by Chris Reed. We are thrilled to be hosting the event at a new venue: The Birdhouse, located at 62 4th Avenue West, Vancouver.
On a misty morning in the fall of 1985, a small group of Haida people blockaded a muddy dirt road on Lyell Island.
After a century of colonialist rule, Haida culture was nearly obliterated, with language and traditions fading, and the land stripped of its resources. But a committed group of Haida and their supporters took a stand, demanding a stop to clear-cut logging practices that had destroyed salmon habitat and ravaged old-growth forest. In the face of overwhelming pressure from the RCMP, private logging interests and even the media, the defenders called for the government to work with Indigenous people to find a way to protect the land and the future.
Drawn from more than a hundred hours of archival footage and audio, award-winning director Christopher Auchter recreates the courage, tenacity and tension of this critical turning point. From furious showdowns between television pundit Jack Webster and Haida leader Miles Richardson, to the support of then-NDP MLA Svend Robinson, The Stand captures the struggle as it unfolds on a moment-to-moment basis.
The parallels between past and present continue to resound, as the Lyell Island blockade laid the foundations for current land-claim treaties across Canada. From the Haida Nation’s resolute act of vision and conscience emerged an unbreakable commitment to justice, solidarity and Indigenous sovereignty that echoes forth to this day.
Following the screening, we’re hosting a panel discussion with filmmaker Christopher Auchter, moderated by Chris Reed, Indigenous Curator.
