Survival Prayer
Sep 29, 2013
Benjamin Greené – Bellingham, WA - 70 min
Naanii Mary Swanson (a last speaker, otherwise known as one of the final living speakers of a nearly extinct language) frames this portrait of age-old traditions at risk. Against the spectacular scenery of the North Pacific coastline, her ancient words set the tone for detailed views on modern life, in which the labor of survival—cutting seaweed fronds, pulling salmon from nets, plucking young spruce tips—speaks to timeless rhythms from our region that still retain elements of sacred ritual.
An intimate ethnographic reflection, this meditative film encounter with the Haida people’s traditional food systems reveals poignant possibility amid deep loss. With scenes that favor the authority of silent acts and a rich visual vocabulary—compared by Werner Herzog to the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich—Survival Prayer vividly illuminates the points at which nature and culture join to sustain human life.
Screens with
Dos Almas
Danielle Villegas – Shoreline, WA – 15:30 min
In 1850, deep in the wilderness, two women from different worlds meet and discover each other through flesh and spirit.
- If you're planning to see multiple features during Local Sightings 2013, check out our array of film festival passes for discounts.