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Port Alberni Documentary Film

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My name is Dan Webb and I am a resident of Port Alberni. Recently I became aware of a little bit of Alberni Valley history that I felt needed to be shared with the rest of the community!

The Project

I am making a no-budget video documentary about a set of remarkable events that occurred in Port Alberni in the 1970s.  I have most of the costs covered (out of pocket) but there are a handful of larger expenses that I will not be able to take care of without support from friends, family, and the wider Alberni Valley community!  I have already filmed the first set of interviews for the documentary and more are scheduled for the coming weeks.  Eventually, the film will be shown on the local Shaw channel, and hopefully on bigger screens around Port Alberni. If it proves to be feasible, I would also like to submit the film to be screened at various film festivals.

 

The Story

 In 1975, Port Alberni hosted a set of meetings called the World Council of Indigenous People, designed to bring together representatives of indigenous people from different countries in order to discuss and organize around their shared experiences and struggles. The meetings, held on Tseshaht territory, included representatives from 19 countries, and the WCIP eventually gained official observer status at the United Nations.

 Out of these meetings grew strong relationships between the various Nuu Chah Nulth nations and individuals who attended, and visiting delegates from around the world. The strongest relationship was forged between a visiting indigenous rights leader from Bolivia and several individuals in the Alberni Valley. Out of these relationships, two small, grassroots solidarity groups were formed to support the struggle for indigenous rights in Bolivia.  Perhaps most impressively, an agreement was struck to have the Bolivian leader’s three young daughters sent to Canada to live with families here for their own safety.  These girls lived here for three years, attending school and learning English, before returning to Bolivia.

The focus of the film is on a particular set of events that occurred when a local Port Alberni activist (Mike Lewis) uncovered information about a plan the Bolivian government had for redistributing land in indigenous territory.  When this plan was revealed and disseminated to the Bolivian people, it played a role in setting in motion a series of dramatic events.  Without going into details, let me just say that many of you who live in and around the Alberni Valley will be amazed to learn of the influence that a small group of local activists had on global events.  Who knows, you may even find it inspiring!

 

The Costs

I am hoping to raise $3000 to cover certain costs. 

 
1.         One of the young girls (now a grandmother!) who spent time here in the 1970s currently lives in Virginia. She is excited to visit and be involved in the project. She has her plane ticket booked for mid-April, at which time I will interview her. I am hoping to raise some money in order to subsidize her cost of flying to BC.

2.         Although I have some help for much of the filming, I am also using  a camera that I recently purchased for the project, and I need to buy some external hard drives to store the incredible amount of footage that quality documentaries generate.

3.         I would like to hire a graphic designer to produce a professional-quality poster for the movie.

4.         Cost of travelling to do interviews outside of Port Alberni (mostly trips to the Vancouver area, i.e., gas and ferry tickets).

5.         Potential costs of acquiring copy-righted material.


Thank you for reading through the entire description of my project! I can't tell you how grateful I am for your support in this endeavour.
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Donations 

  • Michael Hathaway
    • $50 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Dan Webb
Organizer
Port Alberni, BC

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