Latest news with #Nikkel
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Technology helps revive folk fest documentary
The creator of a new documentary and oral history book about the Winnipeg Folk Festival doesn't describe himself as a die-hard folkie. 'I've been more of a casual attender, but still a fan,' says Kevin Nikkel, a local filmmaker and writer with an interest in Winnipeg history and culture. SUPPLIED Filmmaker Kevin Nikkel (left) with collaborator John Prentice. SUPPLIED Filmmaker Kevin Nikkel (left) with collaborator John Prentice. This week, Nikkel releases two parallel projects about the history of the annual summer music festival, which celebrates its 50-ish anniversary at Birds Hill Provincial Park in July. His book, Founding Folks: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, launches at McNally Robinson Grant Park Wednesday; followed by the opening of his feature-length documentary, When We Became Folk Fest, at Dave Barber Cinematheque on Friday. 'I'm really excited to show people this cinematic time capsule of the folk fest,' Nikkel says of the documentary directed with his late collaborator, Dave Barber. It's a movie that almost ended up in the trash. Nikkel and Barber — Cinematheque's founding programmer, who died in 2021 — were working on another local history documentary, Tales from the Winnipeg Film Group, when they started mulling another project. Barber had come across a set of previously unusable film reels that hadn't been watched in decades and were headed for the bin. Captured by Winnipeg Film Group members in 1975, the grainy Super 8 footage shows a young Mitch Podolak, bearded and bespectacled, keeping things afloat during the second-ever Winnipeg Folk Festival. SUPPLIED PHOTO Founding Folks is an oral history of the event. The reels, which also included more than four hours of crowd shots and artist performances, were intended for a documentary that was scrapped in the editing booth because the video and audio were out of sync — a fatal issue at the time. 'We were able to access all this material because, technology being the way it is, it was far more reasonable to sync up the faulty audio with the picture because the software has improved so much,' Nikkel says. 'We picked up a project that had begun and was stalled and has become something completely different than what they had originally intended.' Local composer and sound designer Andy Rudolph helped solve the post-production puzzle and UMFM 101.5 radio host John Prentice, who was present during the original film group shoot in 1975, was brought on as a collaborator. When We Became Folk Fest pairs the vintage footage with archival photographs and offscreen interviews with festival instigators Podolak, prior to his death in 2019, wife Ava Kobrinsky, co-founder Colin Gorrie and others. SUPPLIED PHOTO When We Became Folk Fest is a feature-length doc about the early days of the festival. The film — which focuses on the event's early politics, vision and business model — also includes conversations with the likes of performers Bruce Cockburn, Tom Jackson, Peter Paul Van Camp and Al Simmons. 'I'm really looking forward to sharing this window into our scene, our culture — and people might even recognize themselves or their relatives,' Nikkel says. Creating a documentary is a big enough project on its own, but Nikkel knew from the outset he wanted to pair it with an oral history book. He took a similar tack with Establishing Shots: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Film Group, a book based on interviews from his 2017 documentary with Barber. 'My frustration as a filmmaker or editor is you sit down and have a nice long conversation with someone, but then you only take a couple quotes that end up in the film,' he says, adding writing has become a fitting companion to his filmmaking practice. Founding Folks, published by University of Manitoba Press, features many of the same voices as the film but takes a deeper look at the festival's early days and continued success, which Nikkel says is due in large part to its location and dedicated volunteers. JOHN BACHMANN PHOTO A new documentary revives troubled footage from 1975 for a look back at 50-ish years of Folk Fest. These performers were among the first in 1974. JOHN BACHMANN PHOTO A new documentary revives troubled footage from 1975 for a look back at 50-ish years of Folk Fest. These performers were among the first in 1974. In an era when folk festivals across the country are failing, he hopes readers and viewers will recognize the rarity of a grassroots event that's managed to carry on since 1974. 'For both of these projects, I'm really wanting to contribute to that sense of place and the fact that we have this very rich history and heritage,' Nikkel says. 'We often see this kind of archival material and think about Woodstock and some of these other highly important cultural gatherings from that era, but you never get to see that about yourself and about Winnipeg.' BETSY THORSTEINSON PHOTO The footage captured by the Winnipeg Film Group in 1975 suffered the then-fatal flaw of out-of-sync images and sound: today's technology was able to save it. BETSY THORSTEINSON PHOTO The footage captured by the Winnipeg Film Group in 1975 suffered the then-fatal flaw of out-of-sync images and sound: today's technology was able to save it. Every Second Friday The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Eva WasneyReporter Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva. Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Emerging authors land $10K prize to kickstart career
The Writers' Trust of Canada has announced the winners in three categories of the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers, which aims to help developing authors land a book deal and further their work. Vancouver author Jess Goldman won the short fiction award for the story Tombstone of a Tsaddik, beating out Toronto's Alexis Lachaîne and Victoria's Hana Mason. In the creative non-fiction category, the top spot went to Toronto's Phillip Dwight Morgan for White Trucks and Mergansers; Morgan beat out fellow Torontonians Graham Slaughter and Huyen Trân. And in the poetry category, Vancouver author Dora Prieto took top honours for Loose Threads, besting Vancouver's Cicely Grace and Saskatchewan's Nicole Mae. Each of the winners receives $10,000, are invited to networking events and have their work published in both print and digital formats. For more about the authors and to read their submissions, see ● ● ● The Forks Market launches a new literary series on Friday with a discussion about Winnipeg, affordability and more. The first instalment of the Lectures and Lagers series kicks off at 6 p.m. with Michel Durand-Wood, author of You'll Pay for This! How We Can Afford a Great City for Everyone, Forever, published by Great Plains Press. The event, which takes place in the second-floor event space at The Forks Market, will see Durand-Wood read from the book and then take part in a Q&A with Johanna Hurme of 5468796 Architecture. Registration is required, with a suggested donation of $20; Durand-Wood's book can also be purchased through the registration page, which is at The lagers of said event (as well as ales, wine and non-alcoholic beverages) will be available for purchase from an on-site mobile bar. Buy on ● ● ● Spring book launches at McNally Robinson Booksellers' Grant Park location are in the final stretch before the quieter summer months set in. On Wednesday at 7 p.m., Winnipeg educator and filmmaker Kevin Nikkel launches Founding Folks: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, published by University of Manitoba Press, which includes interviews with folk fest staff, volunteers and performers. The event will be hosted by David Knipe and will feature the musical stylings of Big Dave McLean. On Friday, Nikkel's documentary about the Winnipeg Folk Festival, When We Became Folk Fest, opens at the Dave Barber Cinematheque (100 Arthur St.); the opening-night screening will be followed by a Q&A featuring Nikkel and Winnipeg music historian John Einarson. Buy on Back at McNally Robinson, on Thursday at 7 p.m. York University English Prof. Robert Zacharias launches In Search of a Mennonite Imagination: Key Texts in Mennonite Literary Criticism, published by CMU Press. The essay and review collection, edited by Zacharias, compiles over 50 pieces of writing from 44 authors spanning more than 150 years; Zacharias also provides an introduction to the book as well as to many of the pieces of writing in the book. Buy on Then on Friday at 7 p.m., Manitoba sheep farmer and wool mill owner Anna Hunter launches her book The True Cost of Wool: A Vision for Revitalizing the Canadian Industry, published by Nine Ten Publications. Hunter examines how the Canadian wool industry has changed over the decades, and how Canada could rebuild a local wool industry to the benefit of farmers, consumers and the environment. Buy on books@ Ben SigurdsonLiterary editor, drinks writer Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press's literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben. In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press's editing team before being posted online or published in print. It's part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
07-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba businesses focused on local sales avoiding big hits from tariff troubles
Tariffs are taking a toll on nearly every sector in Manitoba, with many businesses concerned about the increased costs they may bring and the uncertainty that comes with having President Donald Trump at the helm in the U.S. But some, like Tiny Monster Garden owner Ryan Gauvin, say their business hasn't taken a hit from the 25 per cent tariff on virtually all Canadian goods entering the U.S., which was imposed this week but put on hold for at least some good on Thursday. Gauvin's business, based in Lorette, just southeast of Winnipeg, sells seeds to local farms in Manitoba, and doesn't do large exports outside the country. "When we first started hearing about the threat of tariffs earlier this year, I saw a definite spike in my sales, and that's probably a lot like the COVID pandemic," said Gauvin, who sells seeds adapted to Manitoba's growing conditions and ideal for people starting a local garden. "People see the looming threat of volatile food prices or inflation or disrupted supply chains, and they think, 'Well, how can we mitigate the effects of this on our family?' Starting your own garden is one way to do that." Gauvin said he used to export to the U.S., but "started backing away last year" due to changes with the U.S. Postal Service's parcel system. "It just made it not cost-effective for me or my American customers to buy my seeds anymore," he said. While the tariffs are going to affect a lot of his peers in the agriculture industry, Gauvin hopes the disruption might spark some positive change — "maybe altering our food system so it's a little more resilient, more people growing home gardens, more people joining their local farm CSAs [community-supported agriculture] or meat share programs," he said. "Those are positive things that will have a long-term effect … far beyond the tariff situation." Amy Nikkel, who owns Adagio Acres in the Interlake, said she isn't feeling the pressure of tariffs right now either. She grows organic oats and processes them entirely on her farm before they're sold in grocery stores across Manitoba. She said she's seen an increase in sales over the last month. "The stores are putting Canadian flags on our products, and not on our closest competitor's products," Nikkel said of her organic oats. "So people who are looking for a comparable product … now they're discounting one of those options, so we're certainly seeing increased sales because of that." Nikkel said her business is an exception, and a lot of her farmer friends are running into problems trying to sell their products south of the border. They've had to make some drastic pivots to keep their business financially viable, she said. But the fact her business has managed to avoid the impact of tariffs is validating, she said, and she thinks its business model could be a more robust way of growing food. "When you keep your supply chain short and you keep your products local to home, and you keep the food that's being grown here actually eaten here, I think there is less radical shake-ups when political problems come our way." Challenges with 'buy local' push: prof While Trump has postponed the tariffs on some imports from Canada and Mexico for a month, the impact is still a concern, says Dan Shin, a professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba. Canada, the U.S. and Mexico have a complex and efficient supply chain, and manufacturers across North America use this relationship to source their needs from the cheapest option — not necessarily the closest, he said. Tariffs could complicate that relationship. "Some things Canada is just better at, some things U.S. is better at, so we were just relying on each other's strength to cover our weaknesses," said Shin. "But now … we have to do something to take care of our weaknesses, and where we lack, we're going to have to do it ourselves or we're going to have to pay up." Shin said the push to buy Canadian goods could also be challenging for manufacturers. "In a hypothetical situation where all the Canadians start purchasing only from Canadian businesses for Canadian goods, they're not going to be able to meet that demand," he said. "So prices are going to go up, which will further exacerbate the impact of inflation, and the question now becomes, will the Canadians be willing to pay this premium for Canadian goods?" Shin believes Canada should reassess its supply chain, and look for ways to be more resilient in the face of uncertainty from tariffs or political friction.
