Friday, April 9, 2010
OUTSTANDING FILMMAKER JOHN WALKER TO RECEIVE
THE 2010 ERIK BARNOUW AWARD
SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2010
films.onf.ca/passage
www.oah.org
Passage, directed by filmmaker John Walker, distributed by Bullfrog Films, Inc., The National Film Board of Canada and PTV Productions, has been selected by the Organization of American Historians (OAH) to receive the 2010 Erik Barnouw Award. First given in 1983, the award is given annually in recognition of outstanding reporting or programming on network or cable television, or in documentary film, concerned with American history, the study of American history, and/or the promotion of history. On Saturday, April 10th, OAH President Elaine Tyler May and President-Elect David A. Hollinger will present the award to John, the first Canadian recipient, in Washington, D.C., during the 103rd Annual Meeting of the Organization.
Walker’s film follows celebrated British explorer Sir John Franklin and his crew of 128 men who perished in the Arctic ice during an ill-fated attempt to discover the Northwest Passage. More shocking, these men descend into madness and cannibalism. The report of this – to English authorities, came from John Rae, a Scottish doctor working for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Rae’s horrific news did not sit well with Franklin’s widow, Lady Franklin, or with Charles Dickens. They waged a bitter campaign that would discredit Rae and mark the Inuit people with the horrifying label of murderous cannibals.
Formally, filmmaker Walker constructs a documentary within a documentary: we see the film crew making the work, while also pursuing the contested historical evidence. As the film unfolds, we learn the extent to which the Victorian narrative of Inuit treachery continues to shape some contemporary understandings of the Franklin expedition. For its unparalleled brilliance in showcasing the historical consequences of making choices in the production of historical narrative, Passage is exemplary for the “promotion of history,” a central criteria of the Erik Barnouw Award.
With over 15 multi-award winning productions to his name, Walker’s latest film A Drummer’s Dream (www.adrummersdream.com) will have its world premiere at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Toronto, Canada in May 2010. Explosive talent and irresistible personality come together when 7 of the greatest drummer’s in the world fly north for a week, to share their knowledge with 40 students. These master drummer’s have backed up the likes of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Carlos Santana and now – each other.
Founded in 1907, OAH is the largest learned society and professional organization dedicated to the teaching and study of the American past. OAH promotes excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and presentation of American history, and encourages wide discussion of historical questions and equitable treatment of all practitioners of history. Members in the U.S. and abroad include college and university professors; students; precollegiate teachers; archivists, museum curators, and other public historians employed in government and the private sector.
For media information – please contact:
Planet3 Communications Ltd. – Joanne Smale / Leanne Plummer
T: 647.346.4101 E: info@planet3com.net
Organization of American Historians – Katherine M. Finley
T: 812.855.7311
