SUNdAY , OCTOBER 11 , 7 pm
A Feature documentary about local food North of 64 in Dawson , Yukon at the edge of the Boreal Forest . Food sustainability , relationship to land and the diverse perspectives of people producing and sourcing food are explored over five seasons on the land .
At the far-flung edge of Canada ’ s boreal forest , outside the tiny sub-Arctic town of Dawson City , Yukon a handful of unlikely farmers are growing everything from snow-covered Brussels sprouts to apples . These modern-day agrarians have carved out small patches of fertile soil in an otherwise unforgiving expanse of isolated wilderness to make a living and a life .
One young family taps birch trees for syrup , homeschooling their children in the steam of boiling sap , and lovingly scratching the rumps of their pigs before slaughter . A third-generation German horticulturalist , struggling to keep moose out of his radishes , alters Dawson ’ s food supply while facing the limits of agriculture in the North . The Tr ’ ondëk Hwëch ’ in youth , raised hunting and trapping , who now weeds rows of lettuce on his self-governing First Nation ’ s teaching farm ; the couple grafting fruit trees ; the tomato wizard grappling with chronic illness ; and the matriarch who can shoot and quarter a moose , are all in it for the same reason — a profound love of the land .
Dawson filmmaker David Curtis follows these resilient , unassuming farmers over the course of a year , watching as the heavy dark of winter gives way to the incessant summer sun . And as the seasons pass , time slows and transforms , reshaping notions of what really matters through the simple , rich day-to-day of people deeply tied to a life in the wilds .
Sovereign Soil is an ode to the beauty of this ferocious , remote land and the wisdom of those who ’ ve chosen to call it home .
Dircetor David Curtis and Producer Andrew Connors in attendance . Screening Sponsor
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