News
Wildflowers World Premiere at the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival
We are excited to announce that Wildflowers, a documentary film, will have its world premiere at the 2024 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival.
In Loving Memory of Natalie Gillis
Natalie was a beacon of light and inspiration for many in the photography and outdoor community, through which we had the privilege of knowing her. Having worked as a wilderness guide for many seasons, Nat was always the first one up and ready to go on the Maligne River Valley expedition. She moved through the world as she did in the mountains — with care and confidence, guided by her adventurous spirit.
2023: Milestones, Movers and Shakers
A new year dawns, encouraging us to take a deep breath and reflect on the past 12 months. For Wildflowers, 2023 has been a momentous year of major milestones.
On this Remembrance Day
Today we remember Sidney J. Unwin, who served as camp cook and guide for Schäffer’s expeditions, but who also served — and died — in the First World War.
Indigenous Resources
Mary Schäffer Warren’s legacy has been a celebrated one, especially in the Canadian Rockies. But, as filmmakers, we’re reckoning with some incongruities, as well as her colonial perspective that influenced the way she depicted her relationship with Indigenous peoples. In our process, we have been leaning into some Indigenous resources, which we outline here.
Recap: August Maligne Expedition
A recap - with photos - of our team’s six-day hiking and paddle adventure in the Maligne River Valley to the shores of Maligne Lake (Chaba Imne) in Jasper National Park.
A Glimpse into the Archives
Wildflowers blends backcountry adventure with historical research, a lot of which has taken place at the Whyte Museum — an incredible treasure trove of archival material, with a vast Mary Schäffer collection. Here’s a glimpse into what historian Meghan J. Ward chose to pull for our team to look at prior to the Maligne Expedition!
Filming with Mary’s Biographer
Naturally, revisiting the story of a woman like Mary has led us down a path filled with adventure and unexpected discoveries. Last autumn, Meghan and I found ourselves on opposite ends of a pack string horseback riding in the Ptarmigan Valley, just as Mary had in 1904. We also shared a similar ‘pinch me’ moment last month while filming and interviewing Mary Schäffer’s biographer, Janice Sanford Beck.
Our Resource Library
Research for Wildflowers has been taken us in many directions, from the archives to interviews, trips that have us walking or riding in Schäffer’s footsteps to a long list of reading materials. It’s clear that Mary Schäffer Warren has been the subject of much study. It’s no surprise; her unconventional life and remarkable accomplishments are compelling and lend themselves to further investigation. Academics have unpacked her photography and her contributions to Rockies history. One such academic wound up writing Schäffer’s first-ever, full-length biography. One writer has looked more closely at Schäffer’s hand-painted lantern slides, another decided to retrace Schäffer’s 1907 and 1908 expeditions through the Canadian Rockies (save for the Maligne River Valley, which we will retrace in August 2023!)
August 2023 Expedition
A key sequence in Wildflowers will be the team’s August 2023 expedition, which will take a small cast and crew on the final leg of Mary Schäffer’s 1908 journey to Chaba Imne/ Maligne Lake, a 43-kilometre backcountry journey on largely unmaintained trails starting from Poboktan Creek trailhead, up the Maligne River valley, to the shores of Maligne Lake. While Schäffer did it on horseback, our modern-day group will be on foot.
Wildflowers is filmed and produced on Treaties 6, 7 and 8 Territory, the traditional and sacred lands of the Niitsitapi from the Blackfoot Confederacy (the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations); the Stoney Nation comprised of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney; the Tsuut’ina Nation; the homeland of the Métis and Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation of Alberta; the Ktunaxa and Secwépemc Nations; the Mountain Cree clan of Chief Peechee; the Dene; and the traditional territories of the Katzie and Kwantlen Nations. It is with gratitude that we visit these landscapes.
Filmed on location and with the permission of the Parks Canada Agency, at Jasper National Park and Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, as well as with permission of the Town of Banff.