''Look to the North'' is a 22-minute 1944 Canadian
documentary film, made by the
National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime ''
Canada Carries On'' series. The film was produced and directed by
James Beveridge
James Beveridge (1917–1993) was a Canadian filmmaking, filmmaker, author and educator. Beveridge was a pioneering filmmaker at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and became Head of Production at the NFB in the post-war years.
Early years
...
. The film's
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
version title is ''Vers le Nord''.
Synopsis
In 1943, Alaska and Canada's north has become of strategic importance when Japanese forces invade and occupy the
Aleutian Islands. Both Canadian and American forces are deployed to protect and defend the region in the
Aleutian Islands Campaign. The major obstacles to overcome for troops and war materiél to reach Alaska are the daunting distances and harsh environment.
For more than a century, fur traders, prospectors and indigenous peoples had populated the region but the
Klondike Gold Rush and later
Nome Gold Rush
The Nome Gold Rush was a gold rush in Nome, Alaska, approximately 1899–1909.. It is separated from other gold rushes by the ease with which gold could be obtained. Much of the gold was lying in the beach sand of the landing place and could b ...
in
Nome, Alaska
Nome (; ik, Sitŋasuaq, ) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska, United States. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 recorded ...
had brought a stampede of newcomers who started new settlements but left when the gold ran out. In 1942, when war came to the region, a new boom transformed the abandoned settlements as workers were needed to build an overland route to Alaska.
U.S. Army engineers along with Canadian workers created the