ARTIST OF IMPACT 2021 UPDATE
Gemini-Nominated Documentary Filmmaker Dianne Whelan, 500 Days in the Wild
APRIL 2021 | Artist of Impact Update - Coming Home with more Questions than Answers
500 Days in the Wild is a feature documentary about an artist’s journey to look for lost wisdom on the world’s longest trail. A story that calls us back to a place of reverence for the earth. Whelan, now in the final months of her ecological and reconciliation pilgrimage along The Great Trail (the Trans Canada Trail), recently provided the following update.
View film trailer here. View further details here.
"When I embarked on this 24,000 km decision in 2015, I chose to travel from East to West to follow the sun as it led me back home.
The question I asked myself before I left wasn’t, ‘What is the easiest way?’
It was, ‘What is the most meaningful way?’
This directional choice also meant hiking, biking, and paddling into a head wind most of the way with more hills to climb then descend. It was the harder way, and I knew that.
As I approach the end of the trail and prepare to make the film, the question again arises, ‘What is the most meaningful way?’ The answer is clear, ‘In partnership'. With the currency of love and human kindness that carried the journey through years and the thousands of kilometers back home.
The whispers in the wind, the interconnectivity of the trees, and the songs of the waves all sing reminders that we are One."
~ Dianne Whelan
PowHERhouse is pleased to be working closely with Dianne as an Impact Producer, building relationships, support, momentum, and awareness throughout the film's production and launch.
In partnership with two incredible social organizations, you can now play a significant support role in helping us to fundraise for this project and receive a tax-deductible receipt for your contribution to creative impact through the artistry of filmmaking. Together, we can provide the opportunity for complete creative control to remain in the hands of Dianne as a truly independent filmmaker and her amazing team of producers, editors, interns, and of course, impact champions.
HOW YOU CAN BECOME A MOTHER OF THE FILM:
1. Make a $1,000 one-time tax-deductible impact investment to help change how film is financed in Canada.
2. Visit this this LINK at CPAWS to make your donation.
3. Receive a tax-deductible receipt, thanks to our partnership with CPAWS, the Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society.
4. Take a screenshot of your confirmation receipt and upload it HERE to confirm your Mother of the Film benefits with PowHERhouse.
5. Join us for a series of hosted virtual creative conversations with Dee and our Mothers throughout 2022 and at an in-person event late Summer 2022.
6. Like more info? Download our 1-Pager to learn more.
The Project - Dianne’s journey began almost six years ago, Canada Day, July 1, 2015, when she set out on an ecological pilgrimage to honour the land, the water, our ancestors, and to search for the wisdom needed to protect the earth for future generations, while simultaneously filming a documentary about the experience. The feature documentary culled from hundreds of hours of filming will be a weave of adventure film, personal reflections, and stunning captures of wildlife and landscapes. The people she encounters are indigenous elders she pays her respects to along the way, friends who occasionally join her on the trail, and locals in thecommunities she passes through.
DIANNE WHELAN is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker, photographer, author, and multimedia artist. She is no stranger to shooting indie films in extreme locations. She’s filmed on Mt. Everest for her award-winning documentary film 40 Days at Base Camp and on the most northern coastline of Canada for This Land. www.diannewhelan.com
For more information, or to schedule an interview with Dianne Whelan, please contact Charlene SanJenko, Indigenous Impact Producer
