Clayoquot Action Society presents a by-donation screening of award-winning Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter’s latest documentary:

The Stand | Christopher Auchter | 2024 | 95 min

On a misty morning in the fall of 1985, a small group of Haida people blockaded a muddy dirt road on Lyell Island (in what was then known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), demanding the government stop the 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.

In a riveting new feature documentary drawn from more than a hundred hours of archival footage and audio, award-winning director Christopher Auchter (Now Is the Time) 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. As a complex battle played out on remote logging roads, in the legal system and in the court of public opinion, authorities staged a steady propaganda campaign, alongside stalling tactics and a police presence, to undermine the Haida cause.

Special guest speakers Tutakwisnapšiƛ (Joe Martin) & Seit-Cha (Terry Dorward). Joe and his family were leaders of the Meares Island blockade, and Joe has worked for decades to help establish and promote Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks. Terry is the West Coast IPCA Support Program Director for IISAAK OLAM Foundation. At an early age of 12, Terry participated in the 1984 marches and blockades that declared Wah-Nah-Jus/Hilth-Hoo-is (Meares Island) a Tribal Park. Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks continues to be upheld nationally and internationally as a successful Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA).

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All are welcome. Admission by donation.

Reserve your ticket at The Stand—Earth Day Screening Tickets | Clayoquot Action Society

Trailer at https://youtu.be/UhgIT0d4wug