Description of the interview with Paul M. Rickard

When Paul Rickard was growing up in Moose Factory in the 1970s, he remembered that his uncle was one of the only people who owned a TV. His brother Fred presented "Hollywood" é film screenings, which Paul watched with keen interest. He also helped his brother organise the screenings.

At University of Western Ontario, Paul studied journalism, not film. When he went home to Moose Factory, he worked in the community's brand new communications centre. This was in the 1980s and they were producing TV programs in Cree for James Bay and the surrounding area. He stayed on for three years, interviewing elders, covering events and conferences in Cree, his mother tongue.

The film "The Winter Chill" was based on a story his father told him about his grandfather. It was a short story, scarcely a page long, and his father said it would be a good story to adapt to the screen.

Paul had always been interested in making feature films, although he had mostly made documentaries. So, he adapted the story, and decided to set it in the present day. The old stories were designed to teach lessons that are just as relevant nowadays as they were in the past.

Nowadays people live in communities and don't necessarily live off the land and by their parents' ways. Paul simply wanted to show that traditional stories had a place in the contemporary world.

"The Winter Chill" was filmed in Moose Factory. If he had been a producer, he might have opted to film in the Laurentians. But he was adamant that the action had to take place in its original setting. This was quite a challenge because we were filming in February in minus 30 temperatures.

Five years ago, Paul made a documentary about Aboriginal languages throughout Canada. It was interesting to see how people in the communities are working on projects and making some headway towards revitalising and strengthening their languages. Thus, all these documentaries were made in Aboriginal languages.

Film directors have an important role to play in the communities. If Paul makes a film in English, he'll have it translated into Cree or whatever Aboriginal language his film subjects speak.

Paul is very inspired by elders and the stories they tell. He thinks filmmakers have a role in passing on their stories by putting them on screen. It is also important to transmit knowledge to youth and to work with them through training programs or by providing workshops. This is one of the goals of the Moose Factory Film Festival where Aboriginal filmmakers have been hosting workshops since 2001.