Trailer for the documentary Survival Prayer.
Survival Prayer is a journey to the edge of the world. Following individual food harvesters as they gather and prepare for the winter, the film celebrates the modern lifeways of a remote indigenous community and bears witness to a profound relationship between individuals and the land that sustains them.
The story takes place in Haida Gwaii, an archipelago drifting off the northwestern edge of the North American continent. Formerly known as the Queen Charlottes, Haida Gwaii’s diverse geography supports an unusual abundance of animal and vegetable life that has sustained its inhabitants for countless generations.
In the past century, commercial logging, over-fishing, and invasive species have compromised the availability of traditionally harvested foods and threatened the long-term viability of these practices. Compounding this ecological damage is the imminent extinction of the Haida language and loss of traditional knowledge.