''Passage'' is a 2008 documentary film partly based on the book ''

Fatal Passage {{unreferenced, date=November 2021 ''Fatal Passage: The Untold Story of John Rae, the Arctic Adventurer Who Discovered the Fate of Franklin'' is a book by Canadian historian and writer Ken McGoogan. It was first published in 2001. The book formed ...

'' about Sir John Franklin's lost expedition through the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...

. The film explores the fate of the doomed mission, including John Rae's efforts to uncover the truth, and Lady Franklin's campaign to defend her late husband's reputation. The film also features

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

statesman

Tagak Curley Tagak Curley (born 1944) is an Inuit leader, politician and businessman from Nunavut. As a prominent figure in the negotiations that led to the creation of Nunavut, Tagak is considered a living father of confederation in Canada. He was born i ...

, who challenges claims made by Lady Franklin supported by her powerful friend, the story teller and "famous author

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

", widely reported at the time, that Aboriginal people were responsible for the signs of

cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...

among the remains of the doomed crew. It premiered at the Hot Docs film festival in Toronto, Canada in April 2008. ''Passage'' has two main storylines. The first shows John Walker and crew making an historical fiction film ''Fatal Passage'' with a screenplay by Andrew Rai Berzins. This includes script readings, discussions, and scenes from that film (which was not completed). The second story line is completely non-fiction. It includes historical narratives illustrated with paintings, cast and crew visiting the places Rae knew (

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

, the Arctic), Inuit culture, and interviews with experts. The film was written, directed and narrated by John Walker. It stars Rick Roberts as John Rae and Geraldine Alexander as Lady Franklin.

Reception

It won two awards at the Atlantic Film Festival: Best Director-John Walker and Best Cinematography-Kent Nason and Nigel Markham. ''Passage'' also received the Grand Prize for Best Canadian Production at the

Banff World Television Festival The Banff World Media Festival (formerly known as the Banff World Television Festival) is an international media event held in the Canadian Rockies at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The festival is dedicated to world ...

. Critical praise for the film included

Martin Knelman Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austra ...

of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', who called the film "one of the great triumphs in Canadian documentary film history."

References

External links

NFB webpage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Passage (2008 Film) Canadian documentary films Documentary films about historical events National Film Board of Canada documentaries Documentary films about Inuit in Canada Documentary films about maritime disasters Documentary films about the Arctic 2008 films 2008 documentary films Films directed by John Walker 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films