The Moth
When Grief Becomes a Creative Force
By Lindsay Campbell
Before a single frame of The Moth was shot, co-directors Michelle Derosier and Zoe Gordon were years deep in discussions about the impacts of regional development and ecological change on the land.
“It’s been happening for a long time. There’s an assault on our lands and waters,” says Derosier, who is Anishinaabe from Migisi Sahgaigan First Nation in Treaty 3 Territory. “Certainly, things have really gotten quite serious lately, but Zoe and I have been having these conversations for years. We cry and we rage, and then we create.”
The pair have been collaborating on projects for more than a decade, but The Moth is just their latest project to make its debut. Set in 2039, The Moth takes place in Omagakii First Nation, where the land has been consumed by lithium mines and the Nuclear Waste Corporation has buried 100,000 tonnes of Canada's nuclear waste in the ground. Few were prepared for the disaster. An Ogichidaa-Kwe (Anishinaabe warrior woman) who refuses to evacuate survives in isolation, continuing to love and resist as the world sickens around her.
“What our main character is dealing with... it’s very heavy,” says Gordon. “You can’t really look away and I think that’s part of the point.”
The film, which made its debut at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto on June 5, is based on real life events—in particular, Derosier and Gordon say, the recent decision to build a nuclear waste repository near Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and the town of Ignace. The Ring of Fire, and possible future mining projects in the region, also inspired Derosier and Gordon.
The process of making the film, however, became more than seeing their co-written script come to life. It was an opportunity to process many unresolved feelings not only with each other, but with much of the cast and crew who were part of the production. “There were many tears,” says Derosier. “We all didn’t realize how much collective grief was out there until we came together.”
The film, which was supported by the Ontario Arts Council, boasts a strong line-up of local talent. The cast includes Sarah McPherson, Leanna Marshall, Stan Alto, and Matthew Hills. Derosier and Gordon also play the role of the Moth. ElizaBeth Hill and Matthew Warren Ruth provided an improvised score, with additional music by Tanya Tagaq and an original song by Sara Kae. Other names involved in sound design, visual effects, post-production, and set design include Shayne Ehman, Morningstar Derosier, Nathan Pakka, Julia Tribe, Sarah Furlotte, Shelby Gagnon, and Riley Urquhart.
“If you know us individually, you’ll be able to see our voices in the film,” Derosier says. “Everyone brought their full creative selves to the work. That doesn’t always happen, and it makes the film feel really alive.”
For Gordon, collaboration is as much about being surprised as it is about being supported. “You don’t always end up with what you expected, but that’s what I love.”
Following its imagineNATIVE debut in Toronto, The Moth will return home for a local screening in Thunder Bay in July. Both co-directors say they hope that viewers of the film will relate to the land and natural resource development issues in a different way. They also hope their project inspires people to act more proactively to the threat of climate change.
More details about the screening in Thunder Bay will be shared within the community in the weeks ahead. To stay up to date, follow the filmmakers on Instagram @zeddy_springs and @michellederosier.