Illustrated Legacies is a documentary-animation hybrid drawing from oral traditions, recorded history, and community memory. Directed by Cree/Métis filmmaker Tanner Zurkoski, it tells the story of gunboat diplomacy on the west coast centring around the sinking of the Kingfisher. Through a blend of hand-drawn animation led by Indigenous artists, interviews, and archival footage, the film brings to life the oral histories living within Nuu-Chah-Nulth communities and brings them to life authentically. 

A third-generation Indigenous media maker from Prince Rupert, Tanner grew up immersed in storytelling through his mother, documentary filmmaker Nitanis Desjarlais, and his kokum Cleo Reece, a founder of one of Canada’s first Indigenous film festivals.