''My Ancestors Were Rogues and Murderers'' is a 2005

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

documentary film by Newfoundland filmmaker Anne Troake, which explores her own family's ties to the

seal hunt Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. Seal hunting is currently practiced in ten countries: United States (above the Arctic Circle in Alaska), Canada, Namibia, Denmark (in self-governing Greenland only), I ...

and seeks to mount a defense for the now-controversial practice. Troake documents how the seal hunt began to attract international outrage in 1977 following opposition from the

International Fund for Animal Welfare The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is one of the largest animal welfare and conservation charities in the world. The organization works to rescue individual animals, safeguard populations, preserve habitat, and advocate for greater ...

(IFAW) and a high-profile visit by French film star and animal rights activist

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...

. Through interviews with family members in

Twillingate Twillingate is a town of 2,121 people located on the Twillingate Islands ("Toulinquet") in Notre Dame Bay, off the north eastern shore of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town is about north of ...

, including cousin and sealing spokesperson Garry Troake who died at sea just before the start of production, the director advances the argument that sealing is a time-honoured and environmentally responsible industry, while debunking what she sees as misconceptions about the hunt, including how seals are actually killed. Troake had planned on making the film prior to the death of her cousin Garry in 2000, and decided to continue with it as a way to honour his memory and continue his fight. ''My Ancestors Were Rogues and Murderers'' makes ample use of his commentary including accusations of hypocrisy against the IFAW. The film's title is taken from a quote by the filmmaker's grandmother, Jessie Troake Drover, who is also featured.

Reception

''My Ancestors Were Rogues and Murderers'' was named Best Newfoundland Documentary at the 2005 Nickel Film Festival. It was also broadcast on the

CBC News Network CBC News Network (formerly CBC Newsworld) is a Canadian English-language specialty news channel owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). It broadcasts into over 10 million homes in Canada. As Canada's first all-news channel, it is th ...

in April 2006. According to Troake, it was difficult to market the film outside Newfoundland and Labrador, but people's attitudes would change once they had seen the film. In 2007, the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

stated that they were using the film in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

as part of an advocacy plan to defend the image of the Canadian seal hunt, with screenings arranged for European government officials,

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. An industry trade association partic ...

s and the general public.

References

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External links

*Watc
''My Ancestors Were Rogues and Murderers''
at the

2005 films 2005 documentary films Seal hunting National Film Board of Canada documentaries Films shot in Newfoundland and Labrador Documentary films about environmental issues Documentary films about families Films about hunters 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films

Reception

See also

References

External links