DAWSON CITY: FROZEN TIME

Synopsis

Dawson City: Frozen Time pieces together the bizarre true history of a collection of some 500 films dating from 1910s–1920s, lost for over 50 years until being discovered buried in a sub-arctic swimming pool deep in the Yukon Territory. Using these films, as well as interviews and reportage, fused with an enigmatic, original score by Alex Somers, the film deftly depicts the unique history of a Canadian gold rush town, by chronicling the life cycle of a singular film collection through its exile, burial, rediscovery, and salvation—and through that collection, tracing how a First Nation hunting camp was transformed and displaced.

Director Biography

Bill Morrison (born Chicago, November 17, 1965) is a New York-based filmmaker and artist. His films often combine rare archival material set to contemporary music, and have been screened in theaters, cinemas, museums, galleries, and concert halls around the world. He attended Reed College 1983-85, and graduated from Cooper Union School of Art in 1989. Trained as a painter, his work reflects a deep and abiding attention to the celluloid image.