Icewarrior

Environmentalist Leanne Allison and wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer follow a herd of 120,000 caribou on foot, across 1,500 kilometres of rugged Arctic tundra. The husband-and-wife team wants to raise awareness of threats to the caribou's survival. They let the caribou guide them through a wild and remote landscape, from the central Yukon to coastal Alaska and back. During the five-month journey, they ski and hike across mountains, swim icy rivers, brave Arctic weather and endure hordes of mosquitoes. They survive an encounter with a hungry grizzly bear that forces them to reconcile what it means to be a part of true wilderness. Hunger, fatigue and pain become routine, but the sacrifice is worth it when they witness the miracle of birth just metres from their tent. Dramatic footage and video diaries provide an intimate perspective of an epic expedition. At stake is the herd's delicate habitat, which could be devastated if proposed oil and gas development goes ahead in the herd's calving grounds in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Pour filmer cette puissante métaphore de la constitution d'un pays, le cinéaste a planté sa caméra durant 120 jours à quelques kilomètres du pôle Nord, dans la vallée laineuse de la terre d'Ellesmere. Patiemment, il a attendu l'affrontement inévitable entre deux rivaux en quête d'un même territoire : deux bœufs musqués qui entreront finalement en lutte à la tombée du jour. Ils rugissent, chargent, emmêlent leurs cornes, se repoussent et chargent de nouveau. Jusqu'à ce que le vainqueur prenne calmement possession de son troupeau. Un film où l'image, les mots et la musique se conjuguent en un extraordinaire récit poétique.

In the late 1960s, with the triumph of bilingualism and biculturalism, New Brunswick's Université de Moncton became the setting for the awakening of Acadian nationalism after centuries of defeatism and resignation. Although 40% of the province's population spoke French, they had been unable to make their voices heard. The movement started with students-sit-ins, demonstrations against Parliament, run-ins with the police - and soon spread to a majority of Acadians. The film captures the behind-the-scenes action and the students' determination to bring about change. An invaluable document of the rebirth of a people. In French with English subtitles.