ALFF – Voices Across the Water

Alaskan Tlingit Wayne Price and Yukon francophone Halin de Repentigny are among the last canoe builders. At a glance, these two men lead very different lives but they are connected as practitioners of the disappearing art of traditional canoe construction. Both are also visual artists of significant repute, with their life’s work rooted in the landscapes of their distinct cultures. Each is 60-years-old reflecting on a life rich in experience and accomplishment, an age when people also think about legacy and succession. But does anyone care anymore about these disappearing art forms? Who will carry on making birchbark and dugout canoes? What happens to hundreds – or thousands – of years of knowledge when they are gone?

Dir. Fritz Mueller, 2022, Yukon, 90 min.

Filmmakers and guests in attendance for a Q&A following the screening.