[VIDEO] "The Crow Agenda"

[rfmcdonald]

The Crow Agenda (1920 X 1080) from Jason Arsenault on Vimeo.

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The Crow Agenda, as described by its Indiegogo fundraising page, is a recent documentary a half-hour long that takes a look at Charlottetown's crow population and the whole complex mixture of thoughts about them. Apparently these feathered apes are common here.

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island is known as the birth place of Canadian Confederation. The city also plays a lesser known historic role as a roosting site for over 15,000 crows who have been sharing the city space since the 1800s. The crows affect the residents both positively and negatively, and this dichotomy gives rise to an important question – is this murder of crows a persistent problem that needs to be permanently eliminated or a gift of nature from which to draw inspiration?

For some residents an emotional and spiritual connection has developed with the crows. Stories emerge about grandfathers thought to be reincarnated as crows, crows that talk, residents with pet crows, and people who claim to have been feeding the same crows for over ten years. They are in support of leaving them alone and allowing the birds to be uninhibited in Victoria Park. They draw inspiration from the beauty of the birds daily commute in and out of the city. Local artists, dating back to world-renowned poet and Charlottetown native Milton Acorn, have developed a strong stance on the crows. They are in support of leaving them alone and allowing the birds to be uninhibited in Victoria Park. They draw inspiration from the beauty of the birds daily commute in and out of the city.

Other residents have had their lives turned upside down by what they see as an unwanted invasion. Farmers have had their crops ruined, residents have had the paint jobs on their cars destroyed from crow droppings, children and the elderly are afraid to leave their homes due to the overwhelming number of loud birds in the area. The response from these residents has not been one of acceptance. Instead, they have waged a small-scale war upon the birds: a weapon-like sound cannon has been purchased by the city; some residents fire off cap guns, bang pots and pans and garbage lids together in order to scare the birds away. A crow complaint hot-line and bureaucracy has been established to help deal with complaints and local politicians have made getting rid of the crows a key component of their political platforms in the last local election.

The Crow Agenda is an entertaining short documentary film that examines the people of a small East Coast Canadian city who have a unique relationship with these birds. Love them or hate them, the intelligent and mysterious crows have deeply influenced local art, politics and the relationships between family, friends, and neighbours.