The Dawson Film Lab was an opportunity for artists to come to Dawson City, Yukon for a week-long residency (September 3-11) to shoot and hand process Super8 or 16mm film. Participants shot negative film which they hand-processed in buckets using ecological materials such as wildflowers and local plants. They also made phytograms and applied tint and tone to their films (with both conventional tints and toners, as well as with plants, spices and fruits).

Philip Hoffman of the Independent Image Retreat (The Film Farm)
was the host/mentor of the Film Lab.

A film artist of memory and association, Philip Hoffman has long been recognized as Canada’s
pre-eminent diary filmmaker. He apprenticed in Europe with Peter Greenaway in 1985, where he made ?O,Zoo! (The Making of a Fiction Film), which was nominated for a Canadian Genie Award.
The independent imaging retreat or “Film Farm” is artist-driven and focuses on the development of individual artists and the production of experimental film works.

For more than 25 years the Film Farm has initiated and enhanced the work of local, national and international filmmakers and has expanded the traditions of experimental filmmaking in Canada.
His new film, vulture, uses several processing methods including flower/plant hand-processing, and follows grazing farm animals in their minute inter-species exchanges. The film received the Kodak Cinematic Award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in 2019.

The Group:
Front: Rachel Evans (Victoria, BC), Phil Hoffman (Mount Forest, ON), Todd Fraser (Frederiction, NB), Jonny Klynkramer (Dawson City, YT)
Back: Brian Lye (Nelson, BC), Jeffrey Langille (Dawson City, YT), Suzanne Crocker (Dawson City, YT), Matt Ripplinger (Regina, SK), Lisa Milosavljevic, Iqaluit, NU), Kathleen Edwards, (Vancouver, BC).

Todd and Matt at the Paddlewheel Graveyard.	Opening dinner and screening.
Foraging for plants, Top of the World Highway.	Castle Rock
	Making Phytograms (Photos: Brian Lye, Top; Rachel Evans, below)
List of plants gathered. They all worked!	Preparing the plants.
The Ballroom turned into a film creation studio.
Up on the Dempster(Joe Henry) Highway (Photo: Katheleen Edwards)
Figures in a Landscape (Photo: Lisa Milosavljevic)	Up on the Dempster(Joe Henry) Highway (Photo: Lisa Milosavljevic)
Figure in a Landscape (Photo: Lisa Milosavljevic)	Above the clouds
Getting "into" the work	Into the bucket with Phil. (photo: Brian Lye)
Reday to Shoot (Photo: Lisa Milosavljevic)	On the dredge (photo: Jonny Klynkramer)
Images!!! (photo: Rachel Evans)	Plants and a camera! (photo: Brian Lye)
Todd on deck (photo: Capp Larsen)	Plant Prep (photo: Brain Lye)
Animation setup by Rachel Evans.	Dining at Lulu's (Photo: Kathleen Edwards)
Projecting (Photo: Kathleen Edwards)	Phtyos on the river (Photo: Kathleen Edwards)
The final BBQ.	Northern lights over KIAC (Photo: Lisa Milosavljevic)

The Klondike Institute of Art and Culture is a vibrant artistic and cultural centre at the edge of the Arctic that cultivates creativity through film, music, visual, literary, and performing arts. We host a variety of festivals, events, exhibitions, and arts education programs in Dawson City, Yukon on Tr’ondek Hwech’in Traditional and Contemporary Territory.  

We would like to thank our major funder

A program of the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture and the Dawson City International Short Film Festival.

Also thanks to the Film Farm, Yukon Film Society, Cinevic, Cineworks and the Sask FilmPool for helping us out gear. Local sponsors who helped with accommodations and transportation, Klondike Experience, NVD Hotels, The Bunkhouse, Bombay Peggy's and the Dawson City River Hostel and Chantal Rousseau. Fran Morberg -Green for the plant advice. The Canada Coucil for the Arts and The Indigenous Screen Office for travel support.

Special thanks to Lulu Keating and Annie Kierans who were instrumental in making the Lab happen.