Some people have to suffer

Canada, 1976

Film
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This film documents a community’s struggle to survive in the face of government indifference and the political and financial clout of industrial developers. In 1953 the residents of Bridgeview, British Columbia, were promised sewers; following years of debate, frustration, meetings and verbiage, construction started in 1977. The film interviews some of the residents, who state their opinions frankly both to the camera and at meetings. When the film was shown at the Habitat conference in Vancouver, 1976, press coverage noted: “The Third World is merely twenty miles from the site of Habitat.” Narration: Boyce Richardson.

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Collection

In ACMI's collection

Credits

producer/director

Christopher Pinney

production company

National Film Board of Canada

Duration

00:42:48:00

Production places
Canada
Production dates
1976

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

310325

Language

English

Subject categories

Agriculture, Business, Commerce & Industry → Industrial sociology

Agriculture, Business, Commerce & Industry → Industrialization

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → British Columbia

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Cities and towns - Canada

Communications, Infrastructure, & Transport → Public works - Canada

Communications, Infrastructure, & Transport → Sewage

Communications, Infrastructure, & Transport → Sewage disposal

Documentary

Documentary → Documentary films - Canada

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Canada - Politics and government

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Canada - Social conditions

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Community - Moral and ethical aspects

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Community development

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Community development, Urban

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Community organization

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Community power

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Local government - Canada

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Neighbourhood - Canada

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Political science

Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Community - Moral and ethical aspects

Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Community - Moral and ethical aspects

Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Neighbourhood - Canada

Places → Cities and towns - Canada

Short films

Short films → Short films - Canada

Sound/audio

Sound

Colour

Colour

Holdings

16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

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If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/88037--some-people-have-to-suffer/ |title=Some people have to suffer |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=20 March 2025 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}