“PEOPLE THINK YUKON’S HISTORY BEGINS AND ENDS WITH THE GOLD RUSH…
NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.”
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yukon unwritten: a documentary anthology novel
DOCUMENTARY SERIES
2024
16x 4-16 Minutes “Chapters”
HIGH DEFINITION (HD)
IMDB Link >>
Produced with funding from Commemorate Canada and NahHO Productions.
“People think The Yukon’s history, its story, and identity, begin and end with the Gold Rush. But nothing could be further from the truth…”
In 1896, the SS Queen departs Seattle, bound for the fabled Klondike Gold Rush. On board are thousands of would-be miners, most of who are American, all driven to risk their time, money, and lives amidst a great depression... a depression caused in large part, by high tariffs! And yet, there’s so much more to the story...
Yukon Unwritten takes us from Ice Age Beringia, through the brutal realities of the Goldfields and beyond. Our story flows from the land, unfolding through the eyes of its traditional custodians and new arrivals.
“We are part of a bigger and older world than people imagine. And science agrees with much that we already know.”
Yukon Unwritten may be viewed as a feature Documentary in 16 linked chapters, each between 6 - 17 minutes in length. Yukon Unwritten is like a non-fiction novel to be devoured in a single session; or over the course of many. For streaming, broadcast, public meeting, lecture theatre or classroom; each story focuses an audience’s attention.
Stream the PROLOGUE and FIRST TWO CHAPTERS for free, right now!
Credits
Produced and Directed by: Allan Code
Cinematography: Allan Code
Camera: Allan Code, Bethany Paquette, David Curtis, Michael Code
Edited by: Mike Fuller, Bayne Orion Bradshaw, Chris McNutt, Allan Code, and Bethany Paquette
Animation: Bayne Orion Bradshaw
Written By: Allan Code, Bayne Orion Bradshaw, Mary Code
Narration: Allan Code, Mary Code, Bayne Orion Bradshaw, Brandon Kyikavichik, Yves Lafond
Sound Mix: Allan Code, Bayne Orion Bradshaw, Matthew Lein
Music Composition and Performers:
Susan O’Neill
Johnny Rodgers and the Moccasin String Band (Simon Crelli, Stephen Clarke, Johnny Rodgers)
Nicholas Galanin
Production Accountant: Ursula Ottman
Development Support: National Film Board & Commemorate Canada
Special Thanks
The archival photos and films presented in this series are 100+ years old.
This documentary would have been impossible to make without the preservation and curation services of these publicly funded institutions:
Yukon Department of Natural Resources
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Archival Photos and Film Clips
Yukon Archives
University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Anchorage
Dawson City Museum
Alaska State Library
Tr'ondek Hwech'in Government
Vuntut Gwitchin FN Natural Resources and Heritage
Yukon Archeology and Paleontology Programs
University of Kansas Odyssey Archeological Research Program
Kansas Geological Survey
“Bluefish Caves and Klondike footage”
Recorded by Allan Code July/August 2024
Provided to Yukon Unwritten courtesy of:
The National Film Board of Canada
The people of Alaska, Yukon, and the North!
CHAPTERS
watch now free
“The world is in a great depression - caused in large part… by high tariffs!”
Yukon Territory is born (and almost wasn’t).
The Klondike Gold Rush: was it a merry romp, a tragic deception; or hell in the mountains?
We shine a spotlight on one of the most infamous and misrepresented events in North American History, told with dry, cozy humour in a uniquely Northern way! Step back in time with us for an epic, unwritten tale…
PROLOGUE: 1896 - a Battle for Booze
“We are part of a bigger and older world than people imagine. And science agrees with much we already know.” - Mary Code
NahHO Productions takes us on a journey to the first evidence of human presence in North America at Bluefish Caves. In Northern Yukon, Archaeologists and Palaeontologists use new technologies to open doors to the Mammoth Steppe- a cradle for all humanity in the Northern Hemisphere.
A few thousand years ago; Yukon was at the crossroads of continents. This is the “Old” world; not the “New”.
CHAPTER ONE: Bluefish Cave - Sriijáanjik Ch’a’an
“This baby will heal us.” -Elder Peggy Kormendy d. Tr’ondëk Hwech’in FN
Her tiny trunk is curled, with the long upper “finger” unique to mammoths at its tip.
There is food in her stomach she has just eaten. The mud she stood on when the mudslide buried her is still on her feet.
NunChoGa is a miracle.
One month- and 36,000 years-old, NunChoGa invites us to learn about her world; our world.
CHAPTER TWO: 36,000 YEARS AND ONE MONTH
STREAM THE FULL DOCUMENTARY
Yukon Unwritten is currently comprised of fourteen chapters (plus a prologue and epilogue), with more being added all the time. Yukon Unwritten is submitted to festivals from Yukon to Munchën.
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