A documentary film set to be screened in Campbell River on Oct. 9 seeks to inspire conservations around the condition of forests and the forestry industry in B.C.
Set in the Pacific Northwest, Silvicola showcases the cultural and economic factors that both shape and constrain B.C.'s modern forestry practices. By exploring remote locations and worksites, the documentary provides a platform for workers to share their experiences.
Erik Piikkila, a forest ecologist based in Ladysmith, who has worked for B.C.'s Ministry of Forestry, was interviewed in Silvicola, which is Latin for "inhabitant of a wood."
He is joining the film's Vancouver Island tour in October, where he will participate in the Q-and-A session, alongside filmmaker, Jean-Philippe Marquis, Sierra Club BC's senior policy and science advisor, Jens Wieting, and local expert guest speakers. The next day, Piikkila will lead a guided forest walk at Beaver Lodge Lands from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Silvicola does not adopt a single perspective on the controversial issues within the province's forestry industry, Piikkila explained. Rather, it takes a multi-sided approach, enabling forest workers with different perspectives to share their stories.
"It lets everybody talk about their relationships with B.C. forests and forestry and that's the main message of the documentary," he said. "Everybody can probably see themselves (in the film) 鈥� people that have done tree-planting, or done forestry, or they have been a logger, a mill worker."
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The feature-length documentary arrives at a pivotal moment when the forestry industry in the province and its approach to forest management require significant reform, Piikkila said.
"We've got huge private landowners. We've got crown land. Mills have disappeared. Jobs are disappearing. The timber supply is decreasing," he said. "The film is part of this broader conversation we need to have in B.C."
Silvicola won the prestigious John Kastner Award at Hot Docs 2023, as well as the Best Canadian Feature Film award at Planet in Focus 2023. The film has toured globally stopping in Brazil, Cambodia, and the United States, and has been showcased at film festivals throughout Canada.
The film will be screened at Landmark Cinemas in Campbell River from 7 to 9:45 p.m. on Oct. 9. For more information, check out .
