Ecosystem health and pipeline politics converge in Gibsons filmmaker Sarama’s documentary, This Living Salish Sea, and on June 7 it was scheduled to screen in the heart of the Canadian political landscape, Parliament Hill.
The event was organized by Sarama and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, who will be hosting the private screening. “I couldn’t ask for a better person to host it than Elizabeth May,” said Sarama, who is not a political party member.
The film premiered in June 2017 and has appeared across B.C. and in the U.S. This screening is invitation-only for MPs, senators and their staff, as well as media.
Sarama said the idea came to him last October after a screening on Salt Spring Island. “Some people who saw it who were her constituents and knew her, they suggested the idea,” he said, referring to May’s involvement. After a few starts and stops he was able to coordinate with May’s office and launch the event.
He hopes more than a couple dozen MPs attend, including B.C.’s Liberals. “They are at this point representing the government to us rather than representing us to the government,” he said, adding that he is specifically interested in seeing Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky, as well as Terry Beech, MP for Burnaby North-Seymour, attend. He is also keen on MPs from Alberta viewing the film. “They are stuck in a little echo chamber and it would be nice if they got out of that for a moment and got a different perspective.”
The full-length documentary will be released to the public the following day, World Oceans Day.
Sarama said despite offers from educational and institutional distributors it was important for the public to have free access to the film following the Trudeau government’s decision to purchase the Kinder Morgan pipeline. “I don’t have any other choice than to put it online. It’s potentially quite a powerful tool for people to have a different conversation, a more informed one, and if it’s sitting in a box somewhere, it’s not helpful,” said Sarama.
People can view the film at www.livingsalishsea.ca
