By Design: A Journey Through Arts and Culture Talk Series
Join us for an evening of storytelling with documentary filmmaker Sam Rose Phillips. Based in Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ territory, Sam's films and photography focus on human-wildlife stories and their significance to coastal communities. Ethics are at the core of Sam’s approach, guiding the stories she tells with a deep conviction that nothing is worth causing harm to another being.
In this talk, she will share her journey as a storyteller and discuss how her ethical principles led her to direct a feature documentary about coexisting with wolves in nuučaan̓uł (Nuu-chah-nulth) territory. If you're curious about tangible ways to ethically create photos and films, come learn with us!
Before the talk, explore Wildlife Photographer of the Year and get a first look at this year's exhibition. Through the work of professional and amateur photographers, this exhibition captures the intricate beauty of our world while highlighting global efforts to restore Earth.
Schedule
| Doors open |
6:15 pm |
Main doors |
| Exhibition viewing |
6:15–7:00 pm |
2nd floor |
| Light refreshments |
7:00 pm |
Conference Hall |
| Wild Stories talk |
7:15–8:15 pm |
Conference Hall |
The Details
- Coffee, tea and light snacks included.
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition viewing included with ticket from 6:15–7:00 pm only.
- Please note: Some people may find images within the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition disturbing.
- Buy a ticket for a single talk or save by purchasing the entire series!
- Limited pay-what-you-can (PWYC) tickets available for individual talks.
- Members receive 10% discount. Current members sign in. New members sign up.
Meet the Speaker: Sam Rose Phillips
Sam Rose Phillips is a documentary filmmaker, photographer, and poet based in Nuu-chah-nulth Territory on the west coast of Vancouver Island. She focuses her lens on human-wildlife stories and their significance to coastal communities, specializing in remote storytelling from both land and water. With over 10 years of experience documenting the awe and challenges of the natural world, she has developed a deep commitment to integrating truth and hope into the same conversations, often framing narratives alongside changemakers. Her process is slow, thoughtful, and rooted in community.
Her words, images, and films have been published by Save Our Seas Magazine, Salty at Heart Journal, the Royal Ontario Museum, Age of Union, Clarion Magazine, Outdoor Photography Magazine, and more. Sam's ethical approach to storytelling has been the subject of workshops and lectures with youth and emerging photographers around the coast. She has worked with Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, mentoring youth in cultural filmmaking projects.
Sam is currently directing and producing a National Film Board documentary about coexisting with carnivores. When she's not actively engaging with stories, she’s happiest nesting at the homestead with her partner and pup, covered in soil from her budding garden, and kayaking around the temperate rainforest she calls home.
See more of Sam's work at
www.samrosephillips.com
https://samrosephillips.substack.com/
And follow @samrosephillips
