“Skookum Jim and The American Dream”
SAFF 2022 Award Winner
This film by Scottish artist Ken Smyth explores the impact of The Klondike Gold Rush on both the indigenous people of Yukon in North West Canada and on the fake-news-inspired, get-rich-quick, American prospectors. It raises issues of racism, cultural imperialism and environmental destruction that remain highly relevant today. The film is based on a poetry sequence by Chrys Salt and a soundtrack by British composer Richard Ingham, and is voiced by Canadian actor Peter Marinker and the poet herself. Production was supported by Creative Scotland.
Director Biography
Ken Smyth is an artist, graphic designer and art-house publisher whose career has spanned the development of digital technology. He is increasingly interested in mixed-media projects and collaborations and has produced two previous short films with Chrys Salt, combining her poetry with his own artwork and newly-composed music. He is as comfortable behind the camera as with editing the final film product and has produced many short performance-based films.