Controversial anti-Hudbay documentary launching Canadian tour

A documentary film critical of Hudbay will soon begin a 10-city tour that includes screenings in Flin Flon, Toronto and Vancouver.

Flin Flon Flim Flam, already available on YouTube, is scheduled to be screened this Tuesday, May 24 at Toronto’s Royal Theatre.

Stops in Montreal, Ottawa and Winnipeg follow before American journalist John Dougherty brings his documentary to Flin Flon’s Hapnot Theatre on Friday, June 10.

From there it’s off to Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton and, to close out the tour on July 12, Vancouver. All screenings will be free to attend.

In a news release to promote the tour, Dougherty said the film “provides a rare glimpse into the operations of one of Canada’s oldest mining companies.

“This is not information Hudbay wants to have anyone share with Canadians. That’s why I’m bringing the film to Canada.”

But concerns about the film’s objectivity have surfaced from Hudbay and some who have viewed the 52-minute documentary.

In a previous interview with The Reminder, Hudbay spokesman Scott Brubacher pointed out the film was funded by opponents of the company’s planned Rosemont copper mine in Arizona.

Trish Sattelberger, a Flin Flon school trustee, has said the film is “not a balanced portrayal.” Another trustee, Amy Sapergia Green, called the documentary “an extremely inflammatory film.”

The trustees made the remarks in February during a discussion on whether the school board would let Dougherty screen the film at the Hapnot Theatre. They okayed Dougherty’s request by an unusually narrow 4-3 margin.

Dougherty acknowledged that Rosemont mine opponents commissioned the documentary and that some will attempt to dismiss the film because of this.

But he said none of the film’s funders played a role in its creation, nor did they view it before it was finished.

Flin Flon Flim Flam publicly premiered in October 2015 in Tucson, Arizona, near the Rosemont site.

During the 10-city Canadian tour, Dougherty will be available to answer questions after each screening and plans to have different guests appear with him.