|
"Recommended. Using detailed personal accounts from Yukon
natives, this documentary explains why the U.S. hastily summoned the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers to construct a highway connecting Edmonton, Alberta,
to Fairbanks, Alaska. It is superior in its presentation, including the
original 1940s radio broadcasts, and explores a segment of US history not
often documented or discussed, yet of major consequence." -Ed. Media
Review This historical documentary intertwines archival media formats to review a segment in U.S. history and its impact on the environment and native cultures of the Yukon and Alaska; it also includes original 1940s radio broadcasts. Produced by Why Not Productions. 08DR/CL IJSCA 60 min. Associated Programs: USA: Alaska 1, 2, 3 |
|
"Editor's Choice Award"
-Science Books & Films As spring returns to Alaska's arctic tundra, the pageant of life seems to explode into activity for the brief arctic summer. A surprising abundance of life is found here in this land where man seldom intrudes. Produced by Trailwood Productions, Inc. 08DR IJSCA 30 min. |
| The ALCAN Highway, an acronym for the Alaska-Canadian Highway, is also called the Alaska Highway, and is one of North America's most important roadways. To simply state, this highway was constructed during World War II, is way too much of an understatement, because this incredible 1400-mile highway had to be built in 1942 throughout some of Canada's and Alaska's wildest forests in a mere eight months due to a possible attack by the Japanese. Using rare, archival footage, we witness the struggles those highway builders encountered to accomplish that incredible feat. Next, we reminisce of early civilian adventurers in the 1950's that prompted unique and sometimes humorous methods to tame its shifting roadbed. Then, at Mile Zero in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, we begin our modern-day journey. Stops include: Muncho Lake, Liard River and Liard Hot Springs, with it 125-degree water. In Watson Lake, we view the Sign Post Forest; then the world's smallest desert; at White Horse, we join in the Sour Dough Reunion; at the Yukon Quest Dog Sled Race, we learn drivers will mush over 1200 miles; at Chilcoot Pass and in Dawson City, we learn about Yukon gold fields; also we meet independent Yukon men and women, including a local grocer, a modern-day trapper, a Tuchone Indian family in Kluckshu Village, an enterprising rancher, and the building of a gigantic log house. Next, we see the ice fields and glaciers of Kluani National Park; Mt. Logan, Canada's highest mountain, the Lowell Glacier, and view wildlife such as birds, otters, and Dall sheep rams. The poetry of Robert Service, the best-known poet of the Yukon, comes alive as we meet an actor, who re-enacts the writer's life. And before reaching Fairbanks, we see grizzly bears, romping lambs and the mating antics of rival male ducks. Produced by Trailwood Productions. Inc. 08DR/CL IJSCA 60 min. |
|
"Editor's Choice Award"
-Science Books & Films Gold Medal Winner -IFF of New York "Recommended. Much like a PBS 'Nature' program, the viewer is presented with beautiful and dramatic cinematography pulled together by an informative narrative. It is evenly paced and a pleasure to watch." -EMRO Review Associated Article: Baked Alaska -Smithsonian Magazine This award-winning documentary offers a stunning look at glaciers, which continue to sculpt Alaska's landscape. Our story takes place in the Chugach Mountains of south-central Alaska, where rivers of ice have flowed through many ice ages; the Chugach National Forest today is still under the domination of moving ice. We begin with the explanation of the creation of glaciers, we see how the end of a glacier breaks off and melts, creating a surreal landscape; we explore icy spires and caves; we analyze the movement of a glacier, see the evidence of its movement in the rough edges of rock - ground to a smooth polish; then meet the ice worm, an almost mythical creature that lives between the snow crystals near the surface, emerging into the open air to feed on algae and pollen carried by the wind. We experience the changing of the land, once the ice flow passes over; we discover how the thin veneer of soil starts to create a carpet of nourishment in which plants can flourish. We see animals, such as Dall sheep, trumpeter swans, arctic terns, salmon and grizzly bears; also we discover the remnants of early people are still visible in areas; we follow the history of Russian fur traders, native cultures and prospectors; then we experience the change of seasons and how they impact these evolving rivers of ice. Produced by Trailwood Productions, Inc. 08DR IJSCA 30 min. |