HEADLINE: Unarchived-The Story of Forgotten History Makers
SUBHEADING: Untold and unheard history about the history of Canada.
DATELINE: Kamloops, BC – March 17, 2024
The movie Unarchived (2022) is a documentary about people of minorities in Canada especially in BC. The meaning of unarchived is significant to this documentary which is the story of people’s lives gone missing. The powerful people at times erased the stories of minorities or simply forgotten about them. This documentary highlights the story of BC Gay and Lesbian Archives, South Asian immigrants, and Chinese immigrants. Also, the indigenous people of Canada who have been living in Canada especially in BC for decades but their existence in history is missing. The documentary shows the struggles that are seen as different than normal norms have to go through to survive.
There are many personal stories or struggles seen in Unarchive. One of the documentary’s spokespersons is DR Satwinder Kaur Bains, the director of the South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) at the University of Fraser Valley. She came to Canada in 1975 from India. She talks about the need for more historical evidence of their existence. She expresses her frustration by saying, “We were everywhere but we were seen nowhere”. She feels overshadowed by the people in power and left out of society. She decides to join SASI to document their existence and be a part of BC’s history. She talks about a village named Paldi which is located in Vancouver BC. That piece of land is bought by an Indian man named Mr Mayo. Paldi is famous for its mills at the time but it was becoming a close-knit family with Indians, Chinese Japanese, and people from different ethnicities. Cultural diversity is seen in the community at that time. She shows the significance of this village and the history behind that. Dr Kaur is working with SASI to digitalize these documents for future generations so they will be able to see the history and the beautiful cultural diversity.
The documentary Unarchived is a story of Canadian people missing from history. The documentary archives are bringing forgotten people from history into the spotlight. They are working together to share their ancestors’ stories with others. By digitizing documents as proof, they are ensuring that future generations can learn about their heritage. This effort not only helps descendants connect with their past but also introduces Canadians to the diverse cultural history of their country.
For more information, contact Jhon Doe, media relation specialist, NFB media at abc@gmail.com