In the city to help celebrate Yorkton's 66th annual Film Festival, Brandy Yanchyk screened two films at the festival. The first was Brooks: City of 100 Hellos, which documented immigration to the city of Brooks, Alberta and the different struggles faced by residents new and old. The second, Nature's Invitation, covered learn to camp programs for new immigrants, which take new Canadians out into the wilderness, and explores the importance of getting everyone connected to the nature that surrounds them. The second screening was sponsored by Nature Saskatchewan and the Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail.
Yanchyk says that becoming interested in immigration comes from her own life experience, meeting and knowing new immigrants in the different places where she lived, including her own grandmother. She says there is a richness to the story, because it encompasses where they came from and why they left, where they are now, and what they plan for the future.
One of the key moments in the Brooks documentary is a scene where a woman who is concerned about the wave of immigration recalls her own immigrant experience, which contrasts with her current views about new people in her city.
"When I was making the Brooks film I thought I might call it We Are All Immigrants, because it's true. We are Canadian, this country is built on immigration, and somehow as people have been here for decades they stop remembering that they were an immigrant."
The Brooks story also tells of the importance of getting people from the community together and understanding each other, which is the most difficult part of seeing a more varied cultural landscape in a community. Yanchyk says that the intent isn't to judge people, but to show varied perspectives.
"I think it's fair to tell all sides of the story. For some people, it's really hard for them to adapt, and some people don't want to adapt, because they chose a rural community that had a specific background to it... If they haven't traveled very much and they haven't had exposure to different people, their imagination is wild with things that may not be true."
The second film, documenting learn to camp programs, uses the opportunity to talk about the importance of camping through the new residents' eyes. Yanchyk admits that the immigrant experience was a doorway to talk about the importance of nature to everyone in the country, using new eyes to give a fresh perspective.
She says that the lesson that can be taken from the second film is that more programs are needed to bring not only immigrants outdoors, but also youth and seniors into nature. Yanchyk is encouraged by the support of Nature Saskatchewan and the Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail, and she hopes the film can inspire more people to get out into nature, whether they are local or not.
"As long as you have an event where you have locals and new immigrants together and learning about nature, it's going to be great for everybody."
The learn to camp programs also give a glimpse into a way that everyone can get together and learn about each other, which Yanchyk says is the only way to make new residents feel welcome and part of the community.
"The only thing they had in common was that they're immigrants and they're starting, there is an equal playing ground. And isn't that a wonderful way to learn about Canadians and what Canadians are like, sitting around a fire with them?"
Both films are on CBC's Documentary channel and Omni Television, and have been picked up at festivals and for television around the world.
"There has been a lot of interest in the Brooks film, and I think it's because people are interested to see these immigrants move to a town that's basically full of cowboys, and how they deal with it. This is just a microcosm of what's happening around the world, we have had new people coming in and we have to learn from others who have that experience," Yanchyk says.
"There has to be a discussion instead of just ignoring it, because if you ignore it there is going to be problems. People are going to have all these feelings and being uneducated about people living beside them."
To see more on the films or buy a copy visit www.brandyy productions.com.
