Forest for the trees : the tree planters
(DVD Video)

Title from disc surface.

Wide screen.

Bonus material: Demo "Portraits of Tree Planters" and "Making Art"; Bear deterrent; Rookies; Rita Leistner interview with filmmaker Katherine Knight; Poetry; The odds; Creating the musical score, with Kevin Quain; film trailer; book trailer.

Cinematographer, Rita Leistner ; editor, Darby MacInnis ; music, Kevin Quain, Chandra Bulucon ; animation, Alex Komza, Nick Sewell.

The visually and artistically unique documentary explores the physical and emotional aspects of a community of Canadian west coast tree planters. Deftly weaving together still photos and film footage, Rita Leistner, an award-winning photographer, photojournalist, filmmaker, and erstwhile tree planter, depicts the contradictions in the experiences of the tree planters the hardship and the healing; the solitude and the joy of belonging creating an eloquent cinematic metaphor for the human condition. Alone with their thoughts, the planters describe for the camera how the work has helped them overcome a myriad of personal issues ranging from addiction and mental illness to self-doubt, heartbreak, and grief. Finding the common cause, self-knowledge, and meaning in their formidable task, the tree planters restore themselves and each other in the process of restoring the environment.

Subtitled for the deaf and hard of hearing

DVD, wide screen.

English dialogue; English, French or Spanish subtitles.