Bringing Campbell River's Tyee Legacy to the Vancouver film festival

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - Bringing Campbell River's Tyee Legacy to Vancouver's DOXA film festival A documentary about Campbell River's historic Tyee fishing culture will be screened at Vancouver's DOXA Film Festival on Thursday, May 7. In this morning's interview filmmakers Jevan Crittenden and Nate Slaco talk a little about 'In Tyee Country,' and how it came into being.  Jevan: "When we started this project we expected certain things and a lot of those assumptions were accurate, but there were some surprising things that came up. To me the community aspect is the surprising thing. Peter Wipper talks about having a greater sense of community and home in Campbell River than he does in his own hometown, and he credits that to the community that's come up around the Tyee Club. It really is a tight-knit group." Cortes Currents: Where is he from?  Jevan: He's from Nanaimo. (Note: Peter Wipper was hired by the city of Campbell River in 1989 and went on to hold several high level administrative positions before retiring in 2021.) Nate: "Making this film, we really tried to make Campbell River a character in itself and showcase the beauty of that area. I'm hoping that when people watch it, that really comes through. Even if you're not into fishing, being out on the water at that time of year is a beautiful thing." Cortes Currents: "Where are you both right now?" Jevan: "We're both in Vancouver." Nate: "I was actually born in Campbell River. My dad was in forestry, so I lived there until I was five before he was transferred to just outside Vancouver. So, there is a personal connection there as well." Jevan: "Nate and I met when we were 13 years old. We grew up making videos together; it became a passion for both of us. Fast-forward many years, and we got interested in fishing during the pandemic. Nate's dad had some contacts at the Tyee Club and mentioned it to us as we were getting into the sport. We very quickly realized there was an interesting film to be made about this community." Nate: "The whole premise behind the club—using these traditional fishing techniques—is visually intriguing. When we started meeting members, we realized there are a lot of personalities and a lot of passion there. It also branches off into other hobbies, like collecting tackle or woodworking projects. Beyond that, there is a deeper level of understanding regarding what has changed in the last hundred years with fish populations." Cortes Currents: "Tell me about the moment you decided you were going to make a movie." Jevan: "A friend of ours moved to Campbell River in 2022, and I helped her move. Through Nate's dad’s contacts, we set up meetings with club members Jeremy Maynard and Norm Lee over coffee. Those meetings confirmed what we suspected: there was a story to be told here with compelling characters and a complex world involving ecological questions." Nate: "We shot for three years and took probably a year to edit. It was also a good excuse to 'write off' fishing! Jevan and I went there every summer for three years to fish on the Quinsam River for Pinks and other species. Combining our passions for filmmaking and fishing was a great motivator."