Jacquelyn Mills | Documentary | Canada | 2022 | 103m | English
with Zoe Lucas

Geographies of Solitude is an immersion into the rich ecosystem of Sable Island and the life of Zoe Lucas, a naturalist and environmentalist who has lived over 40 years on this remote sliver of land in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Shot on 16mm and created using a scope of innovative eco-friendly filmmaking techniques, this feature-length experimental documentary is a playful and reverent collaboration with an island and its caretaker. As the only full-time inhabitant, Zoe guides us among wild horses, seals and bugs, through peaks, valleys, roots, sands, weathers, seasons and stars. The intangible is evoked with hidden sounds and vanishing light. Much like a field book, the film tracks its protagonist’s labor to collect, clean and document marine litter that persistently washes up on the island shores.

"The combination of a unique personality and a fascinating place makes for a beguiling and poetic film, which blurs the lines between science and art." -Wendy Ide, Screen Daily

"Beautifully shot and constructed, Geographies of Solitude is a truly unique film. Inspired by Sable Island and its one constant human inhabitant Zoe Lucas, filmmaker Jacquelyn Mills has constructed a work of art — a claim rarely made about a feature film shown at a documentary festival." -Marc Glassman, POV

C.I.C.A.E. Award, Caligari Film Award, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Berlin International Film Festival
Best Canadian Documentary - Hot Docs
Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award - Hot Docs
Best Canadian Documentary - Vancouver International Film Festival