A powerful documentary came to Smithers in November. It’s called ‘KONELĪNE: our land beautiful’ and it’s already won Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs 2016.
Set deep in the traditional territory of the Tahltan First Nation, KONELĪNE (pronounced Ko-na- lee´-na) captures an epic canvas of beauty and complexity as one of Canada’s vast wildernesses undergoes irrevocable change.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Nettie Wild, KONELĪNE delights in exploring stereotypes with scenes of breathtaking spectacle. A geologist ponders geological time, while Smithers-based Hy-Tech diamond drilling crew digs deep into the extraordinary landscape of the Brucejack mine. A Tahltan First Nation diamond driller bores deep into the same territory his elders are fighting to protect. The world’s biggest chopper flies 16,000-pound transmission towers over mountain tops. White hunters carry bows and arrows while Tahltan elders shoot moose with a high-powered rifle. Heidi Gutfrucht, both a big-game hunter and fierce environmentalist, swims her 17 horses across the unforgiving Stikine River.