Synopsis

“Unforgotten” (Documentary/57:00) is a Canadian heritage film, a Western like no other you have seen before. It features a gentle and aged cowboy, Roy, and the wife of his winter years, Marge. Together they share a passion for resurrecting the abandoned and forgotten, be it animals, people, or traditions of the past.

Roy used to ride the range and compete in rodeos, but as age came upon him, Roy became a wheelwright. Now he harnesses his horses to carts and wagons he has carefully refurbished or built. A friend of the Métis in his community, Roy learned how to make Red River carts, the kind once used to transport goods across the Canadian West by the Métis (persons of mixed Indigenous-European descent). In making these “emblematic” carts, Roy plays a small part in the preservation of Métis culture and history in Canada.

“Unforgotten” gently takes us through a day in the life of Roy and Marge on the farm and follows them on their journeys beyond its boundaries. Through this lyrical, impressionistic portrait of a people and a land we are given an intimate sense of Western Canadian heritage and the ‘spirit’ that lives in this land.

WITH THANKS to the Métis Nation of Alberta for its ongoing support of the project.