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Robert J. Flaherty
Life Time
16 February 1884 - 23 July 1951
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The director is the father of documentary. Graduated from mining college. The son of a miner turned gold miner, he spent most of his childhood on distant gold mines and scout camps. His travels and encounters with Indians and other ethnic groups developed a passion for exploration and travel. From 1910 to 1916 he led a number of expeditions to the north of Canada on behalf of Sir William Mackenzie. He conducted research among Eskimos in Hudson Bay. On one of these expeditions in 1913, he took a
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The director is the father of documentary. Graduated from mining college. The son of a miner turned gold miner, he spent most of his childhood on distant gold mines and scout camps. His travels and encounters with Indians and other ethnic groups developed a passion for exploration and travel. From 1910 to 1916 he led a number of expeditions to the north of Canada on behalf of Sir William Mackenzie. He conducted research among Eskimos in Hudson Bay. On one of these expeditions in 1913, he took a film camera hoping to cover the cost of selling a film about the life of the Eskimos. While editing in Toronto, he accidentally dropped a cigarette on the negative and 35,000 feet of film disappeared into the flames. He managed to save the working copy and showed it to friends who showed no enthusiasm. A copy was also lost.