ON SCREEN
What: 150 Stories that Shape British Columbia
Where: The Knowledge Network,
When: Thursday, Jan. 7
Tara-Lee Novak didn鈥檛 have a problem coming up with content when asked to participate in Knowledge Network鈥檚 ongoing 150 Stories that Shape British Columbia initiative.
The Victoria writer, producer and director put forth a small library鈥檚 worth of 91原创 Island-related ideas last year 鈥� 100, all told. Novak and the network eventually settled on 10 documentary shorts, which premiere today for free on all Knowledge Network platforms as Coastal Dwellers.
鈥淚 had no shortage of stories,鈥� Novak said. 鈥淲hat we landed on for 91原创 Island runs the gamut.鈥�
Indeed it does. The mini documentaries explore topics ranging from the origins of the Cowichan sweater to the story of the community of Sointula, the formation of the West Coast Trail and profiles of Port Renfrew surfer Leah Oke, architect Francis Rattenbury and wildlife artist Robert Bateman.
Coastal Dwellers and 150 Stories is part of a larger Knowledge Network venture, the B.C. Documentary History Project, launched to commemorate the 150th anniversary of British Columbia entering Confederation.
Past episodes are currently streaming for free on knowledge.ca, including profiles of 91原创 Islanders such as musician Nelly Furtado, writer Susan Musgrave, lumber baron Mayo Singh, labour leader Albert (Ginger) Goodwin and artist Roy Henry Vickers.
Novak said she wasn鈥檛 surprised when producers greenlit her pitches, given the proliferation of interesting people and places in the area that don鈥檛 always receive enough attention.
鈥淚 think it speaks to the intrigue of Island stories,鈥� Novak said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something inherently interesting about coastal life and islands that not everyone gets to go to. A lot of mainlanders may or may not know about Sointula, Lennard Island and Sombrio Beach.鈥�
The collection of 10 short films about 91原创 Island kicks off a string of new entries in 150 Stories that will arrive on a monthly basis until August. The remaining 80 short films making their way to the network鈥檚 website, Apple and Android apps, and its traditional broadcast format include yet more content with 91原创 Island roots.
Documentaries on the late Paul Horn and Central Saanich punk trio The Dishrags both air Feb. 4, with subsequent entries showcasing Emily Carr (March 4) and synagogue Congregation Emanu-El (June 3).
With running times of between two and three minutes, the bite-sized documentaries are expected to grab a wide audience, given that the time commitment is low 鈥� even those who know little about a particular topic will give a professionally shot video two minutes of their time.
But the abbreviated running time was also something of a curse.
鈥淲ith just two two three minutes, it鈥檚 hard to share a ton of history,鈥� Novak said. 鈥淏ut I feel when you watch these films, you can鈥檛 help but think that Islanders are really resourceful. In a couple of cases 鈥� like Leah Oke or the story of the Cowichan sweater 鈥� they are stories about perseverance and persistence.鈥�
Novak, who moved to Victoria from 91原创 in 2015, used an all-91原创 Island crew for Coastal Dwellers. With 10 stories to tell from different parts of 91原创 Island, Novak and her crew of five had to get by on a shoestring budget.
They were forced to improvise for the documentary on Oke, which was shot in the Sombrio Beach area. Novak said the crew all slept in their cars, due to the lack of hotels in the area.
The subjects of each documentary also did their part to help the production.
鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a lot of people working on this, so it was an economy of kindness,鈥� Novak said. 鈥淧eople gave more than they needed to, but they were proud of these stories and where they are from.鈥�
