Mr. Canoe

About This Project

Director: James Forni

DP: Josh Jones, Yeva Dashevsky, Conor McCaffery

Editor: Josh Jones

James Forni developed and directed the full length documentary film Mr. Canoe. We hear the voice of its subject Ralph Frese over film of re-enactors dressed in traditional Voyageur explorer outfits, paddling in replica Native American birch bark canoes:

“The canoe is the only trail that take us through nature without leaving a trace of our passing.”

The statement is both iconic and ironic in respect to Mr. Frese, as he left much more than a trace after his passing. Indeed, the film follows his legacy and how he left an indelible impression on all who truly knew him from Canada to the great river ways of the United States. This 15 minute short film is the opening movement of the full feature.