2019 Dawson City International Short Film Festival Program DCISFF_2019_program_web | Page 8

Thursday, April 18
7:30pm (Doors at 7Pm)
THE WINTER FOLK
An experimental documentary (2019, 73 minutes)
by Christopher Healey and James Healey
Winters in the Klondike will change you—
but now the winters are also changing.
Following three artists and interviewing five others during the winter of 2016-17, this
intimate film explores themes of life as they emerge in a dark and freezing Northern
landscape- one that is experiencing increasing stress from climate change.
With access to local events and winter locations not commonly represented, The Winter
Folk offers a rare glimpse into the tiny and remote communities of Dawson City and West
Dawson, and why artists choose to live and work here all year. With some living off-grid
and one newcomer to the North, the importance of art and community come into focus
throughout the film.
This was the year the ice bridge stopped forming between the two communities.
Environmental, philosophical and social issues emerged during production that feature
the centrality of the river in people’s lives.
However, not all rivers are literal. Death, isolation, guilt, introspection and hope can also
divide and connect us across these vast gulfs of time and space.
An original electro-acoustic symphonic score by James Healey narratively underpins
Christopher Healey’s camera work, creating a sonic and visual texture of the culture of the
Yukon winter.
Starring (in order of appearance): Joey O’Neil, Cud Eastbound, Jeremy Herndl, Peter
Morin, Marta Winkel, Graham Sherwood, Caveman Bill, Jackie Olson.
Screenig Sponsor
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