Most documentaries about the tar sands dwell on the environmental impact, the scars on the land, the immense use of water resources, and the effect the practice of oil extraction has on global warming. This year, Powell River Film Festival brings its audience an unexpectedly exuberant look at the people who work in Fort McMurray, and how some of them spend their leisure time.
Thousands of men and women have flocked to the Athabasca Tar Sands in search of employment. To do so, they take on harsh surroundings. The work is physically strenuous, the hours long, the temperatures punishing, and their reasons for going are difficult to explain to friends who object to the project. A way of coping is to sing karaoke, and the documentary Oil Sands Karaoke profiles five Fort McMurray residents as they prepare for a vocal battle in a pub.
Charles Wilkinson, the documentary filmmaker said, “Our goal was to make a movie about a much talked about but little understood place in our backyard: Fort McMurray, Alberta.”
Wilkinson knew he was going to make a film about life in Fort McMurray, but the karaoke competition was largely accidental. One night shortly after his arrival in town, he was witness to the phenomenon in a local bar. He was interested in the obvious mutual respect among the disparate groups. “We were perplexed at how the various cliques supported each other,” he said, describing how tough “Harley-types” cheered along a “delicate and obviously urban art school guy singing ‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?’ At first the whole scene seemed just kind of weird and wonderful. But as we delved into it we began to sense something bigger, a story that maybe touches most of us.”
This is a very unusual film about Fort McMurray, but like two other films to be screened at the film festival, Gabrielle and Felix, the underlying theme is the power of music. A song can be an escape.
The film festival runs from February 12 to 16. Individual tickets are available at Patricia Theatre, Breakwater Books and Creative Rift.
For a special Valentine’s Day treat, book dinner at Future Chef’s Cafe at Brooks Secondary School and then watch the romantic film, Le Weekend, on February 14. To reserve dinner, readers can call Lori at 604.483.7967. For more information on the festival, including the 5-Minute Film contest by students, the student Film Camp, the two galas, and all the dramas and documentaries, readers can visit the festival online.
