By STEVE MARTINDALE
SS FILM FESTIVAL SOCIETY
Three of Canada’s most successful documentary filmmakers will present their latest films at Fulford Hall from Dec. 10 to 12 in the first event organized by the Salt Spring Film Festival since the pandemic began.
Jennifer Abbott, Joel Bakan and Nettie Wild present their most recent films, all of which have been collecting prizes at festivals around the world.
Abbott and Bakan take the stage at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10 to present The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel, their follow-up to the global phenomenon The Corporation, still the top-grossing Canadian documentary since its 2003 release.
UBC law professor Bakan’s bestselling books have been the basis for both films. Revealing how the corporate takeover of society is being justified by the sly rebranding of corporations as socially conscious entities, this much-anticipated sequel was named Best Canadian Documentary by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.
The following afternoon at 4 p.m., Nettie Wild presents First We Eat, Suzanne Crocker’s chronicle of the challenging year her Yukon family spent eating only food they either grew themselves, harvested or hunted. Wild previously collaborated as story editor on Crocker’s debut documentary All the Time in the World, which was the Most Popular Film at the 2015 Salt Spring Film Festival. Celebrating the ingenuity and resourcefulness of Northern Canadians, this entertaining experiment in food security has won multiple audience awards and was named Best Canadian Documentary at Toronto’s Hot Docs.
Former Gulf Islands resident Jennifer Abbott again takes the stage to present The Magnitude of All Things at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11.
When Abbott lost her sister to cancer, her sorrow opened her up to the profound gravity of the climate crisis. Drawing parallels between the experiences of grief — both personal and planetary — this cinematic exploration of the emotional and psychological dimensions of climate change won four Leo Awards and the Audience Choice Award at DocLands.
The weekend kicks off at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, with Beans, the coming-of-age story of a young Mohawk girl during the 1990 Oka Crisis. The only drama in the series, Beans was named Best Canadian Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
A smash hit Down Under, Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra, profiles a spectacular Aboriginal dance company. Winner of the Australian Oscar for Best Documentary, Firestarter screens at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12.
Capping off the weekend’s program is the rollicking rockumentary Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, the forgotten story of how the former president forged a surprising bond with anti-establishment musicians. Named Best of Fest at the Los Angeles Film Awards, this crowd-pleaser screens at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12.
Advance tickets are available via the film festival society’s website: www.saltspringfilmfestival.com.