Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
(2010, 29 minutes)
Less than fifteen Nuxalk language speakers and storytellers remain in Bella Coola, British Columbia. One of these elders is the filmmaker’s 80 year-old grandmother. In a technologically obsessed century, it would seem easier to record Nuxalk stories for future generations, but the filmmaker resists. Instead, she asks whether an electronic recording can capture the true meaning and value of these oral traditions and more importantly, can it be considered cultural knowledge?
"Cry Rock" examines how Nuxalk stories are more than mere words. With the passing of an elder, an invaluable link to a treasure of knowledge and experience reflecting the Nuxalk world view is lost. As the filmmaker struggles with the decision, a story about the Cry Rock in the bend of the Atnarko River, nestled in the Bella Coola Valley, is spine-tinglingly retold by Clyde Tallio, a young Nuxalk man.
Immersive and revealing, the documentary blends interviews set against the wild beauty of the Bella Coola Valley with vivid watercolour animations. "Cry Rock" illuminates the intersection of Nuxalk history, place and spirit; sitting at the heart of an oral storytelling tradition.
Director: Banchi Hanuse
Producers: Banchi Hanuse, Smayaykila Films
(2010, 29 minutes)
Less than fifteen Nuxalk language speakers and storytellers remain in Bella Coola, British Columbia. One of these elders is the filmmaker’s 80 year-old grandmother. In a technologically obsessed century, it would seem easier to record Nuxalk stories for future generations, but the filmmaker resists. Instead, she asks whether an electronic recording can capture the true meaning and value of these oral traditions and more importantly, can it be considered cultural knowledge?
"Cry Rock" examines how Nuxalk stories are more than mere words. With the passing of an elder, an invaluable link to a treasure of knowledge and experience reflecting the Nuxalk world view is lost. As the filmmaker struggles with the decision, a story about the Cry Rock in the bend of the Atnarko River, nestled in the Bella Coola Valley, is spine-tinglingly retold by Clyde Tallio, a young Nuxalk man.
Immersive and revealing, the documentary blends interviews set against the wild beauty of the Bella Coola Valley with vivid watercolour animations. "Cry Rock" illuminates the intersection of Nuxalk history, place and spirit; sitting at the heart of an oral storytelling tradition.
Director: Banchi Hanuse
Producers: Banchi Hanuse, Smayaykila Films
