CBC series on the circumpolar Arctic looking for suggestions and ideas.
From Gary Marcuse, researcher and director
We are looking for suggestions for stories and issues to include in a
series of three documentaries on the science, history, and peoples of
the Arctic for the CBC program "The Nature of Things". Ideas and
suggestions for stories, locations, and issues that should be included
in the documentaries are most welcome. We are trying to create a fresh
vision of the circumpolar Arctic for international audiences whose
knowledge of the North is minimal, or has been shaped by old stereotypes
of the region. We believe that a younger audience is ready to see the
circumpolar Arctic as an integrated ecosystem, and will be interested in
hearing from scientists and communities who are working to understand
and protect it. Audiences who understand this will be more likely to
push their governments to decrease pollution and protect the
environment.
We plan to work with film makers, communities, and scientists in Canada,
Russia, and the Nordic countries to find good stories that show:
- how the Arctic land, animals, and people have been affected by
industrial development, the Cold War, and pollution from the south in
the form of organic pollutants, haze, and warming;
- how much remains to be learned about the dynamic Arctic Ocean and sea
life;
- how two centuries of European exploration and national self-interest
have created many myths, stereotypes, and misunderstandings of the
Arctic;
- how the clash between the farming cultures of Europe and the
hunter-gatherer peoples of the Arctic shaped the history of the North;
- what are the current and coming threats to the Arctic (and the rest
of the planet) including POPs, radiation, gas and oil development,
climate change, disruption of Arctic freshwater and ocean currents,
damaged habitat;
- how northern communities and circumpolar political organizations are
sharing knowledge, fighting for recognition, collaborating with
scientists and working to educate Southerners and preserve the northern
environment.
That's a tall order, of course. If we are going to create a new
awareness of the circumpolar Arctic, we need to include stories from all
over that help viewers to see and hear what's happening. So we are
looking for good stories that cross over cultural and national
boundaries, stories that can help audiences who know little about the
North to better understand what is happening today. For example:
- is anyone currently working with or living with the Chukchi, or other
Indigenous communities in Russia to share knowledge,
community-to-community or through the ICC?
- other examples of international cooperation or work of the ICC or
other circumpolar groups?
- scientific activities that are revealing new understandings about the
land, sea, and animals?
- examples of good collaborations between northern residents and
southern researchers?
- old archival footage or stories that illustrate southern attitudes
toward the Arctic and its peoples?
- someone to take a camera crew out on the land, to remind us what it
is that has sustained life, and needs to be protected?
- other suggestions?
Please send any suggestions or comments to:
Gary Marcuse
Face to Face Media / CBC The Nature of Things
1818 Grant Street
Vancouver, BC V5L 2Y8
Canada
Phone: 604/251-0770
Fax: 604/251-9149
Email: marcuse [at] smartt.com