Award winning photographer and filmmaker Eiko Jones delivered the 11th Annual Haig Brown lecture at Tidemark Theatre yesterday. Jones also showcased his newly completed film, Heartbeat of the River, for the first time in Canada.
The film traces the life cycle of the salmon right from its migration to the ocean and journey back to the Quinsam River. Having lived in the ‘salmon capital of world’ for over 25 years, Jones realized that it only made sense to document the behaviour and journey of this species that is an intrinsic part of the city’s story.
The film is an emotional rollercoaster for viewers who travel with the salmon, witnessing their struggles as they dodge trouts, seals and other predators, their determination and strength as they travel upstream and finally come home to their birthplace to spawn and die.
Jones told the Mirror that he was not presenting the movie from a scientific point of view but rather as a “hero’s journey.”
He also said that hours and months of spending motionless hours in the river observing and filming the fish, put him in a unique position to document the fish’s behaviour.
After the screening, Jones also presented a behind-the-scenes video that gave an insight into the production aspect of the film and also undertook questions from the viewers who were present at the screening in the theatre and virtually.
Heartbeat of the River has been entered in to several film festivals and will be available for viewing once the selection process is over.
