About & Creative Approach

 As the first rays of light tickle the treetops above the blue-green Stillaguamish River, a lone figure walks to the shore, pausing to survey the water. The young man skillfully ties a fly to his line and wades a few feet into the river. Breathing in, eyes closed, he slowly reaches a hand down to the water, feeling the cold current course between his fingers as if drawing some key knowledge from it. After a moment, his eyes open and he walks into the rapids, casting and whipping his line back and forth, the full sunlight bathing the warm dark skin of his face. Fly fisherman Giancarlo “Gian” Lawrence is a man clearly at home in the wild.

The sounds of drums and metal tools build in the background. A loud clang brings us suddenly into a large community gathering on the edge of the Salish Sea, where members of the Lummi Indian Tribe are loading up for a historic voyage. A masterfully carved totem pole, depicting the story of a young man astride an Orca whale, sits on two massive carved chinook salmon. Gian stands in the crowd, looking on as a team of men and women work huge nylon straps over the whale’s body and hoist it into the air. Next to Gian is Jay Julius, the lifelong fisherman and former Lummi Tribal Chairman. The two men joke and talk about the upcoming journey while the beautiful Totem is lashed and secured to a wide flatbed. The community forms a huge circle around the artwork and a tribal Elder blesses the pole and the travelers entrusted with it on its voyage. The community offers a prayer for Gian as a guest on the journey. He raises his hands in thanks and smiles nervously at Jay. The drums become louder as they make their final preparations, the sun slowly sinking over the waters beyond.

TotemBridge is the story of Gian Lawrence, a self-taught fly fisherman who grew up in the infamous Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, nearly died of stab wounds suffered in an alley rumble, and then ventured out into the forest with nothing more to lose. Pushing through racism, family strife, and constant discouragement, he forced himself to learn the art of angling and became known as the “Black Stonefly” for his innate skill at tracking steelhead and salmon in the rivers of the west, his story featured in an award-winning short film of the same name. (To view the film, please click here)

Now, a new chapter of Gian’s life beckons. His powerful story and advocacy work have led to a unique collaboration with the Se’Si’Le, the Lummi Nation’s House of Tears Carvers, and other Indigenous Nations across the Pacific Northwest. Gian will be both a guest and a witness on the Spirit of the Waters Totem Pole Journey, a journey on behalf of the orca, the salmon, and the imperiled Snake River upon which their survival depends.  This year they will be traveling to Tribal Nations, major metropolitan areas, and universities throughout Salmon Country, to fight for the removal of dams on the sacred Snake River, and to connect with youth and people of color around the global climate crisis. Joining Gian and Jay are Lummi Master Carver Jewell Praying Wolf James, a renowned Indigenous artist who has carved every totem pole for the past dozen Journeys; and four Indigenous youth from the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Lummi, and Yakama Nations, who will engage with the youth community at each stop along the way.  Among these youth is Jay’s own son, Sequoyah Julius.  Bound by a mutual love of nature and the fight to protect the river, Gian joins this diverse group of Indigenous elders, ceremonialists, and leaders, intent on learning, making a profound cultural and historical statement, and inspiring fellow urban youth who have been shut out of the natural spaces they must now join in protecting.

During the 19-day journey, Gian will be fully immersed in the culture of the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest  He will ride with Jay and Jewell in the cab of the Ford F-350 that will be bringing the Totem to reservations and cities across the Northwest. Along the way, Gian will enter different Tribal communities hear their stories, and find common ground in their strength and passion for the natural world. Gian will experience the enchantment of the lands and waters through his indigenous hosts and fellow travelers and explore the similarities of their uncommon histories.  This diverse cohort will discover the empathy and resilience shared by both the Native American and African American cultures and form deep, intergenerational bonds.

The Totem Journey completes its circle back into Coast Salish territory, culminating in several large intertribal events in Seattle and Gian’s native Tacoma. At these events, Gian will be a keynote speaker, relating his experiences and truth to hundreds of community members and youth activists attendees, and to thousands through live-stream. During this life-changing journey, Gian will grow into a critical voice that can form a bridge to the heart of underrepresented communities and inspire action among a new generation of water warriors.

The creative approach for TotemBridge is to cinematically capture Gian’s experiences, interactions, and emotions in real-time as he participates and is changed by this journey.  Gian is the vessel for the audience, and as he experiences each event, ceremony, and relationship for the first time, so do we.  As facts, information, and story points are needed to move the film forward, we will take the approach of narrative filmmaking, where we as an audience learn through conversations, natural sound, and the visual events that take place throughout our characters’ visceral journey.  Many of the visuals will be beautifully composed yet simple handheld and static tripod shots rather than slick camera movement and overtly editorialized ‘messaging,’ allowing the people and action on screen to lead the audience’s journey.  

This intimate, observational filming style invites us as the audience to forget we are being told something, and instead are immersed in the experience of the journey and the change in Gian, gathering information as we go. This subtle, subconscious approach will allow us to grow with our hero and transform with him. At the film’s close - like Gian - we the audience will feel different. We will have been changed at our core, and hopefully, we will be moved to take action to protect our Salmon, our waters, our homes, for everyone. We will have all been affected by the totem journey, and we all are the bridge to bring the message into action.