Documentary gets rave reviews

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No Storm Too Fierce, a documentary about Chief Charlie Cootes and the Uchucklesaht First Nation's efforts to restore its sockeye salmon runs in Henderson Lake, premiered this past weekend at the Courtenay Community Film Festival to a very appreciative and emotionally overwhelmed audience.

The film chronicles the battle waged by Cootes, the Uchucklesaht people and Henderson Lake Hatchery Manager Bruce Hepburn to convince the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to follow through on its promise to fund this valuable sockeye restoration project.

The hatchery, which released more than two million sockeye and 500,000 chinook fry into Henderson Lake last year, has waged a constant war with DFO officials who approved funding for the project while it was in the planning stages, but failed to come through with any help.

After running the hatchery solely from Uchucklesaht First Nations funds for the past five years, putting off much-needed housing and infrastructure projects, the plug was pulled on the project last fall.

"There's an obvious injustice that happened here," said filmmaker George Orr. "If enough people see this, maybe the injustice will be righted."

Orr and Ross Howard collected more than 40 hours of videotape during the last two years which they've edited down to 48 minutes of powerful commentary of the state of west coast salmon enhancement projects.

"What happened at Henderson Lake is the microcosm, a small example of what is happening all up and down the coast," said Orr. "There's a real anger out there and it's about time DFO is made to account for its inactions."

As the lights went up in the theatre, many members of the audience were in tears, visibly shaken by the cold, callous treatment given to Cootes and Hepburn by DFO bureaucrats who seemed unconcerned about the sacrifices made by the Uchucklesaht Nation to restore valuable salmon stocks - a job that DFO is supposed to do.

Showing the close relationship between healthy salmon stocks and healthy Uchucklesaht people and culture, No Storm Too Fierce is a poignant portrayal of a battle that has consumed Uchucklesaht Chief Councillor Charlie Cootes for the past decade.

"Taking a real-life struggle like this and creating a documentary on it is a real daunting task," said Orr. "But everybody we spoke to just opened their hearts to us. The Uchucklesaht people deserve a lot of praise for fighting, and I'm really encouraged that people showed up [for the premiere] and were obviously moved."

Orr and Howard, owners of Western Edge Productions, are now involved in trying to sell No Storm Too Fierce to television networks, where an even greater audience will be reached, and undoubtedly affected.