The Guardians of Eternity: Giant Mine through eyes of Yellowknives Dene
'This is our destiny in many ways' says filmmaker
In one scene from the documentary The Guardians of Eternity, Mary Rose Sundberg stands in front of Giant Mine and explains that the area around her used to be a blueberry patch as far as the eye can see, according to elders.
Those blueberries are long gone.
Although filmmaker France Benoit says there are many stories she could have told about about Giant Mine, she wanted to tell it from the perspective of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.
The title of the film comes from the poisonous arsenic left behind by the mine. Benoit says she was interested in the theme of eternity because of the mine's toxic legacy.
"In essence, we are all guardians of eternity at Giant Mine. This is our destiny in many ways."
The Guardians of Eternity is screening tonight at the Northern United Place in Yellowknife.
"There's a shuttle bus coming from Dettah and the chiefs are going to be there and the mayor, as well, and it will be an opportunity for us to begin the conversation about how do we communicate with future generations," says Benoit.