Documentary backdrop image for Passage (2025)

2025109 minPGdocumentary

Colonialism Indigenous Histories

Passage

2025109 minPGdocumentary

Sir John Franklin's ill-fated Arctic expedition and the subsequent fallout from John Rae's report on the crew's demise highlight the clash between historical narratives and Inuit perspectives.

Colonialism Indigenous Histories

Genres

Director

Jacques Perconte

Channel: NFB

Passage

2025• 109 minPG

Synopsis

Sir John Franklin's ill-fated Arctic expedition and the subsequent fallout from John Rae's report on the crew's demise highlight the clash between historical narratives and Inuit perspectives.

People

Jacques Perconte

Jacques Percontedirector

Synopsis

British explorer Sir John Franklin and his crew of 128 men perished in the Arctic ice during their 1845 attempt to navigate the Northwest Passage. In 1851, Scottish doctor John Rae reported their fate, detailing instances of madness and cannibalism, which sparked outrage among British society, including Lady Franklin and author Charles Dickens. They launched a campaign to discredit Rae and vilify the northern Inuit. A significant meeting between Dickens' great-great grandson and Inuit statesman Tagak Curley challenges this historical narrative, connecting past events to contemporary discussions.

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