Pacific Rim Productions is an experiment in social entrepreneurship and has been formed to facilitate the production of a feature film based on the story of the Tonquin. We will strive to use the highest standards of social and cultural responsibility and aim to leave an enduring legacy for the communities of Clayoquot Sound.
For us, social and cultural responsibility means fostering the development of the film in a way that is most accurate and respectful of the histories of all peoples depicted in the film, and in a way that encourages optimum cultural revitalization and local economic growth for both aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples in Clayoquot Sound.
Cultural tourism is in its infancy in Canada, and it is perhaps our nation's greatest untapped resource. A film that leaves sets behind would help get it off the ground on the west coast. Many new cultural tourism jobs would relieve the "economic need" to log Clayoquot Sound, the largest piece of intact forest on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
Things are heating up in Clayoquot Sound. Temperate rainforests are one of the rarest forests on earth, yet plans to increase logging in the sound are in the works, even though logging companies have LOST money in the past. The current plans are to increase the cut to the maximum allowed, use undercut numbers as credits to further boost it, and to log the intact old growth valleys where most of the money is. We sincerely hope our efforts to offer an alternative are considered by enterprising filmmakers, ones interested in making a difference both on and off the screen.
Aside from the enormous focus a film would provide, DVD extras and documentaries would educate people on the plight of Clayoquot Sound and its people, and could show what has been left behind by the production. Sets and props could be modified and turned into tools to educate thousands on First Nations culture, in a sustainable manner. Additionally, people would learn about the environment and what they can do to help preserve it. This project has the potential to have a strong triple bottom line -- benefiting the economy, the society, and the environment of Clayoquot Sound.