A Canadian mining company stands accused of murder, corruption and environmental atrocities.
KDocs—Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s documentary film festival—delves deep into the scandal around Hudbay Minerals Inc. with the documentary Flin Flon Flim Flam, screening at KPU’s Surrey campus on Thursday Jan. 26, 2017, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
Investigative journalist and documentarian John Dougherty turns his unflinching focus on Canadian miner Hudbay Minerals and its legacy of lead poisoning in the remote Manitoba community of Flin Flon where the company operated a notorious copper smelter for more than 85 years.
Following a path of human rights and environmental abuses, Flin Flon Flim Flam, takes the viewer on a journey of Hudbay’s operations in Manitoba, Guatemala, Peru, and Arizona.
The mining company is put on trial for murder, rape and shootings at its former operations in Guatemala in a precedent-setting Canadian civil trial. In the Peruvian Andes, indigenous villagers are occupying a mine site after Peruvian police beat and teargassed protestors angry over Hudbay’s failure to abide by an agreement. Lastly, Dougherty uncovers the corporation’s misleading statements over its proposed Rosemont copper project and the ecological treasure that would be destroyed if the mine were constructed.
After the screening, special guest John Doughtery will lead a panel discussion/Q&A with KPU faculty, students and community members.
“We’re incredibly excited to have a documentary filmmaker of John’s calibre come to KPU and take us behind the scenes of making this disturbing and controversial film,” said KDocs founder and festival director, Janice Morris, who is also an English instructor at KPU.
The event is free, but attendees must pre-register at flinflon@kpu.ca. It takes place at KPU Surrey, 12666-72nd Ave., Surrey, in Fir 128. Doors open with free refreshments at 4:30 p.m.
For more information, visit kdocsff.com.
Credit: John Dougherty