NFB Collection
Pocket Desert - Confessions of a Snake Killer
199924 min 10 secFilm: Documentary
Direction: Teresa MarshallCraig Berggold
Production: George JohnsonSvend-Erik Eriksen
Script: Teresa MarshallCraig BerggoldMargo Harper
Every outlaw needs an enemy, and for a young girl growing up on a ranch in the last corner of the Canadian wild west, the rattlesnake takes centre stage as the perfect demon for her childhood imagination. In the dry interior of British Columbia, the south Okanagan and Similkameen valleys form the scenic bio-region known as Canada's 'pocket desert'. As settlers' dreams of creating an agricultural Eden erase fragile desert lands that support a breathtaking array of wild species, the narrator and her snake-hunting neighbours are forced to examine their environmental attitudes. Superb wildlife cinematography and rare archival film clips combine with dramatic personal stories in this compelling documentary.
Availability
Subject categories
- Animals > Animal LifeEcosystemsEndangered Species
- Environment and Conservation > Endangered SpeciesEnvironmental PerspectivesSocial and Industrial Development
- Science > BiologyEnvironmental Science
- Social Studies > Environmental Challenges
- Geography > Environmental Issues
Credits
- director
- Teresa Marshall
- Craig Berggold
- producer
- George Johnson
- executive producer
- Svend-Erik Eriksen
- script
- Teresa Marshall
- Craig Berggold
- Margo Harper
- cinematography
- Craig Berggold
- Glen Winter
- sound
- Velcrow Ripper
- Dieter Piltz
- editing
- Heather Frise
- Ileana Pietrobruno
- sound mix
- Sharpe Sound Studios Inc.
- narrator
- Teresa Marshall
- music engineer
- Cy Garber
- music
- Ellen McIlwaine
- participation
- Carleton MacNaughton
- Michael Sarell
Awards
- Honorable Mention - Category: Science and Technology International Film and Video Festival
- Silver Award - Category: Film and Video - Ecology / Environment / ConservationWorldFest - International Film Festival