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Woman postpones film school to create documentary

Brodie Thomas
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 28, 2008

FORT GOOD HOPE - Anne-Marie Jackson thought she had her life planned out, at least for the next few years.

She had been accepted to the Vancouver Film School and was getting ready to move. Then she got a call from the National Film Board (NFB).

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Anne-Marie Jackson shows off the camera that the NFB has loaned to her. She will be creating a documentary about Fort Good Hope. - Brodie Thomas/NNSL photo

"They kindly asked me not to go to school this year so they could train me themselves and so I could get that hands-on experience first," said Jackson.

She has been hired for one year to make a documentary on some aspect of Fort Good Hope. She will also have to present workshops that train Fort Good Hope residents in the art of film making.

"You just never know what is going to come along. I was really looking forward to film school and to get called by the National Film Board, it really blows you away.

"I had a difficulty choosing whether to go to film school or to stay with the NFB," said Jackson.

Jackson said she eventually decided to go with the NFB, but not before making them wait a week for her decision.

Jackson has had an interest in filmmaking since she was young. She and Fort Good Hope resident Wesley Orlias collaborated on films from an early age.

"We just made silly home videos of the other kids in town. He would record community events and activities. I've asked the NFB to consider him to help me this year."

Orlias remembers the first time he and Jackson collaborated on a film.

"We were nine or 10," said Orlias. "She had a video camera and we decided to make a short movie."

Since that time, Orlias has purchased several cameras of his own, the latest being an 8mm Canon. He says he is willing to help out in any way he can on Jackson's film.

Jackson flew to Banff, Alta. to attend a creative writing conference and to pitch story ideas to the NFB. Jackson would like to shoot a film about the relationship between the Dene people and the caribou herds.

"If they go for it, they will support the whole film project with a budget and everything," said Jackson.

While most young filmmakers say they idolize directors like Tarantino or Scorsese, Jackson said she looks up to her parents more than anyone else. She credits her mother with teaching her to be independent, and her father for teaching her the skills of life on the land.

"They taught me who we are and where we come from as aboriginals. They're my biggest role models," said Jackson.

As a part of her NFB training, Jackson spent some time in Fort McPherson on the set of Dennis Allen's documentary, CBQM. Allen's film is about the community radio station in Fort McPherson.

Jackson spent time observing the artist at work, and helped out on set with odd jobs. It was experience that will serve her well as she prepares to make her own documentary.

Jackson's dream of attending film school is still alive. She has made arrangements to attend after her work in Fort Good Hope is finished. Her goal is to become a director so that she can share the stories of the Dene people with other Canadians.

"I think we should be recording our own stories. Aboriginal people have a lot of history and stories through storytelling, through artifacts, and through history. And who better to tell those stories than aboriginal people themselves?"