Birchbark Movie

As political tension between the U.S. and Russia continues to intensify, Duluth Sister Cities and our sister city partner in Petrozavodsk, Russia remain committed to peace. In a project funded by the US State Department, our organizations created a movie called “Birchbark”, which focuses on the commonalities between the Ojibwe people in the US and the indigenous Karelian people in Russia. 

The film was created by Russian filmmaker, Elena Fomina, and Minnesota filmmaker, Augustin Ganley. Birchbark provides the central theme around which the stories of two countries, separated by 4,300 miles and opposing political ideologies, are told. 

The U.S. version of this story follows the journey of Duluth resident, Savannah Williams. Savannah’s father was a member of Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.  But Savannah was never enrolled with the tribe.  Through turbulent events in her life, Savannah found her way to Lifehouse in Duluth, which provides comprehensive support services to meet the needs of youth who are unstably housed. 

At Lifehouse, Savannah met filmmaker, Gus Ganley, who was teaching aspiring filmmakers to use film equipment. Upon hearing Savannah’s story, Gus made her the subject of his portion of the film. 

Interwoven into the stories of two countries, we discover the surprisingly touching true story of a young woman from northern Minnesota who is re-discovering her ancestral roots.