Dreamers and Dissidents

Amy Bohigian and her partner, Jane Byers, were on their honeymoon in Nelson when they were inspired to leave the fast paced city for a new life in the Kootenays. Amy was pulled by the natural beauty, but it was the strong sense of community that has anchored her and her family here for the long-term.

Basil Izumi was five years old when his family was torn apart and sent to live at the internment camps in the Kootenays at the beginning of World War Two. His father, who was a professional photographer, made an album of his childhood that became a precious gift to his son.

Bruce Rohn was a teenager when he and his family were forced out of his childhood home by Hydro BC to clear the land for their dams, displacing over 2000 people. Bruce worked on the crews, clearing land and burning houses.

Gina Landucci tells us the story of her Italian grandfather who moved to Trail in the early 1900's to work at the local mine and smelting company. Soon after, Gina's mother, Felecita, came over as many Italians settled in the region, recreating their culture in the grocery stores, bocci pit and social clubs.

This story weaves together the stories of three women from different generations who have all fled persecution for their anti-establishment beliefs and protestations of war. Each woman found tolerance and a strong sense of community in the Kootenays.

Jack and Daisy Philips were lured from England to Windermere in the early 1900's by the promise of prime agricultural land made by the promotional campaigns of Robert Randolph Bruce. After a couple hard years and a failed settlement they abandoned their farm to fight in World War One leaving behind the farm and their hopes for a new life.

A pioneering woman sets off from the coast for adventure with her family and her camera, documenting rugged interior life as she earns a reputation for cooking at mining and logging camps.

Sophie Pierre was forced to attend St. Eugene's Residential School as a girl, removing her from her family and aboriginal culture. After her departure from the school she went on to become a leader among her people, bringing about a transformation to the old residential school and the people whom the school had impacted.

Stanley Triggs travelled to the East Kootenays during the time that the prime agricultural land was being transformed by the building of major Hydro dams in the region. He documented the farmers, the landscape and a way of life that disappeared after the land was flooded.

Nelson filmmaker Amy Bohigian explores the history of the Kootenays through the stories of people who have lived there over the past century.