On Feb. 17, the Haida Nation signed a historic agreement with the federal government to recognize Aboriginal title over Haida Gwaii, an archipelago off British Columbia's northern coast.

The Big Tide Haida Title Lands agreement affirms the Haida have Aboriginal title on all of the islands' lands, beds of freshwater bodies and foreshores to the low-tide mark.

The deal ended a four-decade conflict that started with a logging blockade and escalated into a fierce legal battle.

It's timely news for award-winning director Christopher Aucter, whose feature film, The Stand, recreates when the Haida Nation took a stand for the future using hundreds of hours of footage and audio.

The Stand goes back to 35 years ago, when a small group of Haida people blockaded a muddy dirt road on Lyell Island in southern Haida Gwaii, B.C. demanding the Canadian government work with Indigenous people to find a way to protect the land and their future.

Crowds of Haida demonstrators, many of whom were elders, built blockades that prevented access to the logging areas during October and November of 1985. In the end, the RCMP arrested 72 Haida demonstrators.

The protest on the logging road at Sedgwick Bay ultimately led to the protection of the area and the creation of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site.

In April 2024, Auchter learned from his uncle, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanas, who participated in the 1985 blockade, that British Columbia was about to sign the Aboriginal title to Haida Gwaii.

"I was able to change my ending because I had it going one way and me and my editor Sarah Hedar pivoted and we're able to to include it in the film," he said. 

B次元官网网址淭he signing of the title is a fresh beginning. The fact that it took until 2025 to get to this B次元官网网址� thatB次元官网网址檚 a long time because there are people putting their freedom on the line for this to happen and for it to finally have this resolution...itB次元官网网址檚 an amazing feeling.B次元官网网址� 

The filmmaker says aside from watching hundreds of archival footage, one of the biggest challenges in making the movie was finding the hook to grab the audience's attention.

"Riveting" is how he describes The Stand.

On Saturday (March 1), Vancouver Island Regional Library Sidney/North Saanich will host a free screening at Star Cinema in Sidney, followed by a Q&A with Auchter. The screening is also made possible thanks to the National Film Board (NFB), the film's producer and distributor.

Doors open at 3:30 p.m. 

Seating is limited B次元官网网址� spots can be  at https://shorturl.at/LmLBO.

The Stand received the Audience Award, Northern Lights program, at the Vancouver IntB次元官网网址檒 Film Festival | VIFF 2024.