Leslie D. Bland Archives | Otaku No Culture

Following The Great Salish Heist and Where to Find Them

Following its Victoria Film Festival premiere, dates have been solidified for where The Great Salish Heist will play next. The team is expected to plan a East Coast venture sometime late Spring! You better watch out!

Playing April 27 at the VIFF Centre (Vancouver, BC), and Star Cinema (Sidney, BC); May 4 (Comox Valley International Film Festival)

The Great Salish Heist is finally stretching its wings! Plans for a nationwide release have been methodical since its premiere back in February, and it’s justified in order for it to succeed. This weekend will see it extend to other territories and from there, the sky’s the limit!

Here, viewers can witness what the plan is to protect some local treasures from sales overseas. But for Steve (Darrell Dennis), his idea is to calm the restlessness that not only he but also the spirits have. This story doesn’t get heavy with revealing how indigenous spirituality is important why this person is feeling haunted. Had there been more, I’d truly be hooked, as what’s presented is very light concerning hearing voices in their head and seeing things. Instead, this concept concerns protecting national treasures and presenting a more realistic picture.

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Regarding The Great Salish Heist and it’s Vancouver Island Connection According to Leslie D. Bland

This producer said, “The Great Salish Heist is indigenous version of Ocean’s Eleven. Instead of breaking into a casino, they’re going to have to find a way into a museum after hours.”

Leslie D. Bland is a filmmaker who has crafted a lot of documentary style content over the years. In 2021, he and Harold Joe made Tzouhalem, which examined the impact a local legend had in the Vancouver Island region (my coverage can be read here). And to change what they enjoy making together, they produced an action-comedy The Great Salish Heist.

When I last talked to him, this project was in the early stages of pre-production. And now that it’s ready to make its world debut at the Victoria Film Festival (Feb 9 at the Blue Bridge Theatre), they can talk about the concept more! There will be a Q&A after the screening, and for those wondering how this concept came to be, “The original idea is based on Harold’s work,” said Bland. “He’s a cultural worker for the Kwakiutl and other neighbouring Nations, and it was from a pitch he put forth in front of our staff one day.”

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Tzouhalem, A Legend or a Man? An Interview

Chief Tzouhalem is a local hero of the Coast Salish people around British Columbia and this is his story….

Tzouhalem Promotional Poster — **Screening in British Columbia (Please scroll down to end for locations)**

**World Broadcast Premiere**
**on CHEK TV** **March 13th at 7:30 pm**

Chief Tzouhalem is a local legend not everyone knows about. This hero of the Coast Salish people was feared and revered. But for filmmakers Leslie D. Bland and Harold Joe, their goal in the documentary simply titled Tzouhalem is to educate viewers about this person–and distinguish fact from fiction. One day, they hope to recreate his role in the bloody Battle of Maple Bay on the same cinematic scale as Lord of the Rings. Many tribes were involved in this naval battle done riding canoes and welding spears.

After Joe finished film studies at Capilano, he partnered up with Bland to create works about First Nations culture. The latter often executive produced. Dust and Bones looks at Harold’s work as an archaeological consultant. Before, he worked as a traditional gravedigger for his nation, and after that documentary, he was an actor in the web series, Ollie and Emma.

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[VFF’15] “Gone South” to Look at the Rise of Hollywood, A Review

Gone South Poster — **6:00pm Feb 6**
**The Vic Theatre**
**Special Guest in Attendance: Director Ian Ferguson**

The documentary Gone South: How Canada Invented Hollywood is a very informative and tongue in cheek look at a different kind of invasion that’s still infiltrating the entertainment industry today. It’s only fitting that this movie is part of the opening night of movies to start the 2015 Victoria Film Festival. This movie is part of the Canadian Wave program.

Film historians will enjoy the retrospective that begins by describing how Hollywood began. For example, Jack Warner (born in London, Toronto) formed Warner Bros and with his brothers Sam, Albert and Henry (all born in Poland). Jack was the studio head.

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