Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - A story of the people who peacefully work to protect B.C.'s magnificent ancient temperate rainforests, even in the face of intimidation, beatings and jail sentences, will be told along side other stories of struggle and sacrifice at the upcoming Amnesty International film festival. The festival, which runs from Friday November 10^th through Sunday November 12, will be held at Pacific Cinematheque - 1131 Howe Street, Vancouver. Tickets: $7.00. Seniors & Students: $5.00. Matinees: $5:00.

On Saturday, November 11 at 4:00 PM Hoods in the Woods by director Daniel P. Gautreau will be shown. The 25-minute-long video was produced at some personel loss to many of those involved in it's making.

72-year-old environmental activist Betty Krawczyk received one year in jail, with no possible time off for "good behaviour" because of her appearance on this video and other news coverage that shows her openly defying a court order prohibiting people from interfering with Interfor's logging of thousand-year-old trees in the Elaho Valley - Stoltmann Wilderness. Dennis Porter, one of the filmmakers who shot footage of the protests was arrested and convicted of contempt of court for being in a court-ordered no-go-zone while filming. Director Daniel Gautreau was threatened and roughed up numerous times by irate Interfor loggers. Barney Kern, one of those featured in the film was also sentenced to one year in prison for entering the no-go zone because of concern for the safety of fellow activists. Though other conservationists also received jail time, no one who was part of the loggers' mob has.

Five Squamish area loggers have been charged with the attack on conservationists in the Elaho. Their court case begins Monday December 4 in Squamish Provincial Court.

"Hoods in the Woods is BC history unfolding before your very eyes," said Western Canada Wilderness Committee spokesperson Joe Foy. "WCWC has been working to see the Stoltmann Wilderness preserved for five years and I can vouch that his incredible film captures the nature of International Forest Products' aggressive rush to log some of Earth's last 1000-year-old trees - right in our own backyard. I believe people will be shocked to see both the brutality of the timber goons and the bravery and peaceful determination of the environmental activists to save the Stoltmann," Foy said. "This film is a must see for all those concerned with our environment and social justice," he said.

After the film, Director Daniel P. Gautreau will speak about the making of Hoods in the Woods, but he will give up some of his allotted time to Betty Krawczyk - or rather to a video of her speaking to the audience from the Burnaby Correctional Centre for Women, where she now resides.

Don't miss it!

WCWC - Joe Foy or Paul George - (604) 683-8220
Daniel Gautreau - (604) 689-5559
WCWC's website and more info on the Stoltmann Wilderness...