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Canadian Features
Dennis Allen, Canada, 2009, 66 minutes
The airwaves over the Mackenzie Delta resonate with the wild and joyous sounds of a northern fiddle tune. CBQM’s far-flung listeners — solitary trappers in their cabins, Gwich’in women busy with their beadwork, truckers heading north on the Dempster Highway — all take comfort in the presence of this old friend. Fort McPherson’s citizen-run CBQM is a beacon in the storm of life and a vital expression of cultural resilience... plus it plays the best old time country music in the Mackenzie Delta. For listeners, CBQM is more than a simple radio station. It’s their radio station — a dependable pal, a form of local communication, and a resilient expression of identity and pride.
Whether it’s reporting wolf sightings or broadcasting bingo games, airing debates on uranium mining or dedicating a hurtin’ country ballad to some heart-broken local, the citizen-run station has served the people of Fort McPherson for almost three decades. Dennis Allen — a long-time CBQM listener and a gifted filmmaker — pays tribute to the “Moccasin Telegraph” in this, his latest documentary. With a sharp ear for the poetry of daily life, Allen crafts a big-hearted portrait of the place they call McPhoo, a small town that hugs the banks of the Peel River, about 150 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Home to some 800 souls, mostly Teetl’it Gwich’in, Fort McPherson’s unique spirit finds vital expression on CBQM, where respected elders share the mic with raucous fiddlers, the RCMP officer addresses kids “egging” houses and Reverend Sue (host of Heaven Help Me) dispenses philosophy and cookie recipes. And they do it all while answering the phone, running the sound board and featuring live guests!
An accomplished musician, Allen appreciates how song and storytelling sustain a culture, and his multilayered soundtrack playfully juxtaposes CBQM’s frequent personal announcements — “Angela, come over for a cup of tea” — with generous portions of old time country. Allen documents the life of the station and the community with much humour and affection, weaving a rich tableau of life in this northern town.
Filmmaker in attendance
Alanis Obomsawin Best Documentary Award, 2009 ImagineNative Film Festival
Classified for younger audiences. No membership required.
Director’s biography
Dennis Allen is a filmmaker and musician who inherited a love of storytelling from his Inuvialuit father and Gwich’in mother. His first short drama, Someplace Better, was presented at the Sundance Film Festival, and his recent credits include My Father, My Teacher and CBQM. His Whitehorse-based company Mackenzie Delta Films is dedicated to making films about the North and its peoples.
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