Yukon Documentary “Mammoth Hunters” Premieres at Available Light Festival

A new documentary titled Mammoth Hunters will make its Canadian premiere at the Yukon Available Light Film Festival on February 8, 2024. The film offers the first onscreen account of the significant 2022 Nun cho ga discovery, which unveiled a remarkably preserved baby woolly mammoth, and is produced by Yukon-based filmmakers Fritz Mueller, Teresa Earle, and Jordy Walker. This 82-minute feature will screen at the Yukon Arts Centre, with the creative team and several film subjects from the region expected to attend.

Producer Teresa Earle expressed excitement about the event, noting that key contributors to the mammoth recovery, including geologist Jeff Bond, assistant palaeontologist Elizabeth Hall, and artist Joyce Majiski, are anticipated to join the premiere. The documentary chronicles the lives of five individuals whose work revolves around woolly mammoths, showcasing a blend of scientific inquiry, artistic interpretation, and personal passion.

Filming for Mammoth Hunters took place across various locations, including the Yukon, Alaska, the Netherlands, Germany, and France. Earle noted that production began in May 2022, shortly before placer miners in the Klondike unearthed the baby mammoth. This discovery became a pivotal part of the documentary’s narrative, particularly as the infant mammoth, later named Nun cho ga by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, appears on screen for the first time.

The film features interviews with the miners who discovered Nun cho ga, as well as the geologists involved in her recovery and representatives of the First Nation. Earle mentioned that Sagafish Media initiated contact with the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in before filming commenced, adhering to their practice of engaging with traditional territories. Regular communication with heritage director Debbie Nagano led to her participation in the film.

The documentary also follows Jeff Bond, who played a crucial role in the recovery of Nun cho ga. The filmmakers have highlighted the emotional impact of the discovery on Bond, connecting his geological work with a rare find from the Ice Age. Elizabeth Hall, who manages the Yukon fossil collection, guides international researchers in search of mammoth remains, showcasing the collaborative efforts to understand these ancient creatures.

The film introduces specialists such as Swedish palaeogeneticist Love Dalén and Dutch palaeontologist Dick Mol. Mol allowed the filmmakers access to his home and fossil collection in the Netherlands, where he discusses his interests in European mammoth research and shares insights from his collection.

In Alaska, Mat Wooller, a palaeoecologist from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is highlighted as he maps the movements of a 14,000-year-old mammoth. His research, captured in the documentary, sheds light on the behavior of this ancient species and its interactions with early humans.

Majiski, a multimedia artist from Yukon, is featured in the film as she travels to France to explore 17,000-year-old cave paintings of mammoths. Her work reflects on how these ancient beings influence contemporary art and our understanding of historical landscapes.

The filmmakers intentionally selected a diverse range of subjects to illustrate various perspectives on mammoths, incorporating scientific, artistic, and collecting narratives. Earle emphasized the importance of presenting an international story interconnected with broader themes of science, art, and culture. She stated, “Our Yukon characters travel, and other characters come to the Yukon, making it ground zero for this narrative.”

In November 2023, Mammoth Hunters was acquired by London-based distributor Journeyman Pictures after being showcased at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam marketplace. Its world premiere in Rotterdam was met with enthusiasm, drawing a full audience.

Following its festival screenings, the film is set to embark on an international tour. Additionally, Northwestel Community TV, which commissioned the documentary, plans to broadcast it regionally in spring 2026. Earle hopes that audiences will leave the screening with a deeper interest in woolly mammoths and the northern landscapes tied to their history. “It’s a very unique Canadian story that the Yukon can genuinely claim,” she concluded.