The Bridge
VIDEO ON DEMAND (VOD)
00:53:00
Documentary
Released 2015
During three fateful months in 2011, the picturesque community of Souris MB, is ravaged by a record-breaking flood which experts estimate will only occur every 200 to 500 years.
“It was very stressful, very heartbreaking because you knew your house was going to be destroyed. And there wasn’t anything you could do about it,” recalls Joyce Kowalchuk.
Assisted by volunteers from across Manitoba and the Canadian Armed Forces, residents worked round-the-clock to build dikes and sandbag vulnerable properties. The Bridge is a compelling glimpse into a town battling to save homes, businesses and the famed Swinging Bridge, a nationally renowned tourist attraction built in 1904.
“I’ve never, never been involved in anything like that before,” says town mayor Darryl Jackson. “The sheer numbers would scare you.”
See a preview here:
Program length: 53 minutes
THE BRIDGE – PREVIEW
A universal story of tragedy and triumph, The Bridge is told through the words, photos and video of the people on the flood-fighting front lines.
“That flood helped us to understand that, as we go forward as a community, we need one another,” says Sandra Denbow, councilor and Chamber of Commerce president.
The Bridge is produced and directed by Glen Kirby. A native of Souris, Kirby was interested in telling the 2011 flood story because of his involvement in the town’s previous worst flood on-record in 1976.
“I will never forget how we joined together, people from all different ages and backgrounds, side-by-side in the mud, filling sandbags and building dikes. Those feelings and experiences are represented in The Bridge.”
Since the late 1970s, Kirby has been crafting sound and images into long-form documentaries, news stories and corporate and music videos.
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