Britannia Beach



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format:Digital Video
running time:48 minute or 55 minute versions
writer/director/co-producer:David Vaisbord
producer:Trish Dolman
producer for the nfb:Selwyn Jacob

photo credits:
Britannia Mine, David Vaisbord
No Drinking Sign, Mitch Anderson
Philip "Scotty" Graham, David Vaisbord
Old Mine Tools, Trish Dolman
Lynne Cook, David Vaisbord

A tragicomedy of geological proportions about corporate greed, ecological disaster, hairbrained government, and the survival of a community.


David Vaisbord embarks on a journey to Britannia Beach seeking to uncover what lies beneath the surface of a forgotten and derelict mining town. The resulting film reveals a hidden community surviving under the shadow of North America’s worst source of heavy metal pollution. It is a personal journey from first impressions to a compassionate understanding of a mining town’s people, their dreams and their fears for the future.