The wild beauty of the Bella Coola Valley blends with vivid watercolor animation illuminating the role of the Nuxalk oral tradition and the intersection of story, place and culture.
In 2010, less than fifteen Nuxalk language speakers and storytellers remained. One of these elders is the director Banchi Hanuse’s grandmother. In a technologically obsessed century, it would seem easier to record Nuxalk stories for future generations, but Hanuse resists. Instead, she asks whether an electronic recording can capture the true meaning and value of these oral traditions. More importantly, can it be considered cultural knowledge?
Cry Rock examines how Nuxalk stories are more than mere words. With the passing of an elder, an invaluable link to a treasure of knowledge and experience reflecting the Nuxalk world view is lost. As Hanuse struggles with the decision, a spine tingling story about the Cry Rock in the bend of the Atnarko River, nestled in the Bella Coola Valley, is retold by Clyde Tallio, a young Nuxalk man.
Immersive and revealing, the documentary blends interviews set against the wild beauty of the Bella Coola Valley with vivid watercolour animation. Cry Rock illuminates the intersection of Nuxalk history, place and spirit that are at the heart of an oral storytelling tradition.
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