Documentary about 1985 Haida Gwaii blockade premieres at VIFF [Video]

Nearly 40 years ago on a misty fall morning, a small group of Haida set up a blockade along a dirt road on Lyell Island, just off B.C.’s North Coast. 

The group wanted to put a pin in a plan to log parts of Haida Gwaii, according to a report from The Canadian Press that appeared in the Vancouver Sun in November 1985.

Reports from the time show that 72 people were arrested as a result of the blockade. 

A new documentary film examines that time through archival footage and audio, in an effort to inform generations to come about the commitment those individuals made to protect their land. 

The Stand, directed by Christopher Auchter, makes its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival on Thursday. Another showing is scheduled for Oct. 5. 

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