Summary/Proposal

Contact- Steve King
email steveking8@hotmail.com
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2007 Rupert River Film Expedition
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Summary

•The Rupert River, in Northern Quebec. is one of the last untouched rivers of its size in the world. It has been described by many as the most beatiful river in all of Canada. The Cree Indians depend on the Rupert to sustain the last coherent hunting culture on the continent.

•The Rupert contains 65 world-class sets of rapids, six of which have never been run. It flows through pristine wilderness for 380 miles.

•Hydro-Quebec, the giant government-owned energy corporation, has received permission to include the Rupert into the largest complex of dams and reservoirs in the world.

•81% of the indigenous Cree affected by the diversion project voted not in favor of the project in December 2006. Quebec authorities are permitting construction to begin despite this fact.

•A group of professional kayakers are raising money for an expedition down the Rupert.

•Our cast/crew includes kayaking superstars, local Cree guides, expert canoists, fly fishermen, a marine biologist, a hydrogeologist, plus cinematography and support crew.

• Our purpose is to capture the majesty of the mighty Rupert on film, and to document the fight of the Crees to save their way of life. The expedition will draw much needed attention to this issue. The film will spread the news even further and make a call to action to save the Rupert River.


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Proposal

Eric Cheezo is a 44-year old Cree who was born along the banks of the Rupert. Like his father and grandfathers before him, he makes his living from the Rupert River. Soon, he may have to abandon his home, livelihood, and the graves of his ancestors in order to find a new way to feed his family.

Proponents of the project promise the diversion will create jobs, boost the regions economy, and provide more power to sell to the United States.

Oponents believe the jobs and economic boost will be temporary, while the permanent loss of the Rupert will destroy many lives and remove forever one of the great remaining natural wonders of the continent, indeed the world.

Hydro-Quebec, the company proposing the project, has never explored alternative forms of power to massive dams. The Grand Chief of the Cree has pursued the development of wind farms on Cree land as a more reasonable solution to the energy crisis.

The Rupert harbors extensive fisheries and serves as a major wilderness corridor for 300 species of migratory birds and 44 species of mammals. The water is in a pristine state, and can be drunk without filtering. For whitewater enthusiasts, the Rupert is an ideal playground, offering multiple month-long wilderness trip itineraries that are unrivaled anywhere in scenery and challenge. Among the many rapids, six have never been run. The average annual flow exceeds 100,000 cubic feet per second.

Your contribution will help the dual cause of giving the Cree people a voice and defending an amazing natural resource.


A Circumspective Look at the Film

Flashes of a kayaker emerge from within a thundering mass of whitewater. Somehow she makes it through the rapids into a safe eddy the size of a football field. The frame pulls back, zooming out until the paddler is a tiny dot disappearing on the horizon of the giant river. Cut away to a Quebec courtroom in Montreal. A Cree elder explains to a judge how the destruction of the Rupert will end the way of life his people have practised for over five thousand years.

Parallel editing will be used to tell the story of the Rupert while documenting its rapids in riveting whitewater scenes. We will use cinema verite′ techniques, filming real life as it happens with people interacting rather than being directly interviewed. The kayaking and canoeing will be filmed in the exciting idiom of modern paddling films, informative sections will use a documentary style combined with animations to present the story in an inviting, entertaining, and dynamic way while also informing viewers as to what they can do to lessen their power consumption and help save the Rupert from destruction.

Post-Production and Marketing

This film will move beyond the paddling film format, and destroy the stereotype of a dour documentary. Our intention is to give the film legs to carry it past the usual markets for these genres as well.

Post-production will be handled at the studios of Interloper Films, a well-established production company in Los Angeles. We plan to use a producers representative such as Ostrow and Company, also in L.A., to distribute the film, track sales, ensure it is seen by as many as possible, and maximize revenue potential for the preservation of the Rupert River.

Our film will play a pivotal role in the movement being lead by the new Grand Chief of the Cree Nation, Matthew Mukash, who is offering to develop wind power on Cree land rather than sacrifice the Rupert.
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Storyboards

It's not customary for a documentary film to have a storyboard because you never know exactly what's going to happen when you get in the field and start rolling--that's the essence of cinema verite, that it's spontaneous and real, but I've been sketching some ideas up about how the film might look... here are a few. Good news from the week: Press Release posted on opednews, Creative Visions sounds positive about acting as a fiscal agent (meaning we can write grants through them and use their non-profit status), Smith Optics and Old Town Canoe have been added to the list of sponsors (thanx Gabe and Chris)!!

Sailing towards the headwaters of the Rupert, Lake Mistassini, 2006

Illustrations from last summer

About These Drawings-- Trout provide the majority of protein for the Cree in the summer months, after the diversion, mercury levels in the Rupert watershed will make it dangerous for Crees to continue this tradition. Trout populations (some of the largest in the world) will certainly suffer as their habitat is reduced by 70%. These pen and ink drawings from last summer show Cree women harvesting and smoking trout.

Here's Ben Jacoff, my co-instructor on the Keewaydin Rupert River Wilderness Trip last summer, on the James Bay Road bridge. In front of him is Oatmeal Falls. This road is currently the only paved road that crosses the Rupert in 380 miles. Very soon, they will start building something like 200 roads in to the river to build their dams, wiers (small dams), dikes, canals, tunnels, etc. If they succeed, Oatmeal Falls might be good for Granite bouldering, because it will host only a tiny trickle of polluted water. Note the graffiti on the bridge. I didn't do it.

Chipin Widget

If you have a blog, myspace page or website-- you can help the cause by posting this chipin widget on it. Go to rupertriver.chipin.com (not part of World Wide Web, so don't type wwww). The Summary and Proposal should pop up, with a widget like the one above on the right side of the screen. Click where it says "Help promote this event..." and follow a couple easy steps. I will love you forever. Thanks very much to the kind folks who have contributed so far. Every dollar gets us one step closer to helping the film reach a wide audience. Thanks!

Power lines over the Rupert at Nemaska Road

New Pix and News Release

Check out these pix by Keewaydinisi Garrett Kephart. Also check out the news release below. This will also be posted on the Canoe & Kayak Magazine website


Press Release
For Immediate Distribution

The Diversion of the Rupert River Is Approved
Hydro Quebec Plans to Begin Construction

Overwhelming dismay from local communities and conservationists as multi-billion dollar mega project destroys one of the largest untouched rivers on the continent

Quebec, January 10, 2007—Construction is expected to begin this month to divert what has been called the most beautiful river in Canada. An Environmental Assessment presented by a federal committee called COMMEX in December approved the project, known as Eastmain 1-A.

Two Federal commissioners disagreed with the methodology for evaluating the extent of mercury contamination in the river, and expressed concerns that the environmental costs are too high for the project to go ahead. Permits are being issued to provincially owned global energy giant Hydro-Quebec to begin construction.

The Quebec government breached its commitments to the Cree with authorization of the project, three Cree Chiefs said of the verdict.

In 2002, the governing body for all Cree First Nations held a referendum on the Rupert River diversion that gave the province the green light to proceed.

The Cree had voted on the diversion without knowing its full impact, because no impact statements had been completed, the Chiefs say.

In a recent vote conducted by the chiefs of the three communities most affected by the project, 81% of those who voted were not in favor of the project.

One of the main stipulations in the original agreement, called the Paix des braves, or Peace of the Brave, was that the project would not be allowed without the full support of local communities.

Quebec Environment Minister Claude Bechard said on Friday that the government has taken all steps to ensure the project proceeds soon.

Only the Skeene River rivals the Rupert as the largest unaltered river in North America. The Rupert flows through pristine wilderness for 380 miles. It drops down through 65 sections of massive cataracts before it reaches the Hudson Bay.

For whitewater enthusiasts, the Rupert is an ideal playground, offering multiple month-long wilderness trip itineraries that are unrivaled anywhere in scenery and challenge. Among the many rapids, six have never been run. The average annual flow exceeds 100,000 cubic feet per second, and could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in two seconds.

The Environmental Assessment determined that mercury will enter the Rupert watershed by leaching out of the soil and into the standing water. It is recommended for Cree to eat only one fish from the river a week for twenty years after the dams are in place. In the summer months, fish have provided most of the protein for traditional Cree diets.

Proponents of the project say the diversion will create jobs, boost the regions economy, and provide more power to sell to the United States.

Opponents believe the temporary jobs aren’t worth the permanent removal of one of the few remaining natural wonders on the North American continent.

Last spring, construction was halted on the Rupert when activists reported that it was illegal. Several groups are determined to halt construction again this spring.

Based in Chibougamau, Rupert Reverence (www.reverencerupert.com) promotes ecotourism and works to safeguard their river.

Professional Kayakers from around the world are planning a film expedition on the Rupert in 2007(rupertriver.blogspot.com), in order to document the river and include a wider audience in the struggle for preservation.

The Grand Chief of the Cree Nation, Matthew Mukash, is proposing the development of wind power on Cree land instead of sacrificing the Rupert. He views the money the Cree have already received from the project, part of 3.5 billion, as reparations for the illegal damming of the La Grande and Eastmain rivers to the Rupert’s north.

A typical sunset on a sleepy section of the Rupert River

Pushing on

Ever since we started this project, good news has coupled bad news. Today's good news is that Old Town Canoe has committed to supply boats in return for photos, video footage, product recognition, and advertisement. So the beat-up old Trippers that I salvaged from a Keewaydin dumpster can finally be retired, and we won't have to swim after they sink. Sweet! Bad news is, Construction could start any day. We've got a full crew psyched to go, and I wish it was July 21 right now. Some folks have had trouble with the chipin page, so to contribute, click where is says chipin on the box below, choose paypal or credit card, type in your information, and click the chipin box again. A printable receipt will pop up, and another receipt will be emailed to you. The new amount will show up on the widget. Chipin doesn't take a percentage. You won't get any junkmail in your email. Best of all, you can right it off on your taxes! The money will go to the expedition and the production of the film. Email me if you contribute, so I can thank you and put your name in the film credits. Megwhich (thanx in Cree), Steve.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great holiday. I've just put a chipin widget on the blog, so people can contribute directly through this safe site. If your resolutions included being part of worthy causes, here's your chance. Just click on it and it will take you to www.rupertriver.chipin.com. If that doesn't work, simply cut and paste the URL into your browser. To contribute, follow the easy steps, or contact me at steveking8@hotmail.com. Thanx and all the best for 2007, it's gonna be exciting! Think Positive, Steve.