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Ann arrived in Yellowknife in January 1990 by way of Edmonton and brought with her experience working in film and video as a film festival coordinator although she had no educational background in the field. Finding work with Yellowknife Films and later CBC TV she gained hands on experience in the industry. In the early 1990s there were a number of people and companies in the NWT in the film/TV/ video industry but there was no one really doing “art” projects.

With a lot of confidence (or the exuberance of youth) and faith that if you start something others will help, Ann created a script, raised a little bit of money through the NWT Arts Fund and got a lot of very kind people to help realize this little film.

“The Road to Rae” is an ode to road movies crossed with a hommage to drive-ins! Of course in the north neither exist like they do in southern Canada. Drive-ins don’t work well as it is too bright up here in the summer time for them. Road movies usually are lengthy plant drives on paved highways whereas The Road to Rae captures the state of the highway in the 1990s just as the last of the gravel section was replaced with asphalt. Before then driving the highway was a risky undertaking.

It was quite a grueling experience making the film and at times rather dangerous as not all the traffic stopped while filming on the highway! Thankfully no humans or animals were hurt.

The Road to Rae screened in Yellowknife, on CBC North and at several Canadian festivals winning a Special Jury prize at the Yorktown Short Film Festival,

Ann continued making art films for another decade. She helped make the videos for several theatre projects with Tracy Riley (Nunsence and Confessions of the Cabin Dweller) and edited a singing group “Aurora and the Boring Alices” and their hilarious evening on stage in Yellowknife. Ann was instrumental in founding Western Arctic Moving Pictures (WAMP) and securing the initial funding to get them started. Ann still lives in Yellowknife.

The Department of Culture and Communications formed in 1985 with the reorganization of the former Department of Information and the addition of the Museums and Heritage Division and Public Library Services, which were transferred from the former Department of Justice and Public Services.

The Department of Culture and Communications was responsible for preserving, promoting and developing northern culture, improving broadcast communications and availability of information, as well as, strengthening national and international understanding of the Northwest Territories. The department provided printing, graphic design, publishing, audio-visual and language services, such as interpreting and translating to the Government of the Northwest Territories. It delivered public programs such as library services, museum services, a cultural affairs program and offered grants in support of cultural activities through various divisions. The department assisted in providing radio and television services to communities and supported regional native communications societies that delivered culturally relevant radio and television programming to the north.

The Directorate Division operated between 1986-1992. It was responsible for the management of the department, development of policies, the direction of public affairs and provided administrative and financial services. It also advised the Executive Council on public relations matters.

The Public Affairs Division operated between 1986-1989 and was responsible for Government of the Northwest Territories public affairs programming, assisting clients in communications programs and providing services to the public through news releases.

The Publications and Production Division was responsible for meeting the graphic design and the publishing needs of the Government of the Northwest Territories through in-house or commercial activities. The division printed and produced a variety of publications including annual reports, the Northwest Territories Gazette, legislation, newsletters and booklets on various government programs and services. The responsibilities of Publication and Production included audio-visual services such as the production and distribution of video programs about the government in native languages. This division was transferred to Government Services and Public Works in August 1992.

The Language Bureau provided interpretation, translation and other communications services to the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Legislative Assembly in all official languages of the Northwest Territories, except Cree. This division included both an aboriginal language and French language section.

The Museums/Heritage Division transferred to Culture and Communications from the Department of Justice and Public Services in 1986. The Museums/Heritage activity was responsible for collecting, preserving, researching, documenting and presenting the cultural and natural history of the Northwest Territories. This function was achieved through museum and archival programs at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and the Northwest Territories Archives, as well as through the provision of advice, technical support and financial contributions supporting community heritage projects. Other territorial programs administered by the activity included archaeological resource management and geographic name research program that had been transferred from the Executive Department into the Museum Division in 1986.

Library Services were also transferred to Culture and Communications from the Department of Justice and Public Services in 1986. The Library Services division provided some financial assistance to community libraries and maintained the government library, which collected Federal and Territorial Publications, reference material and books in the area of public policy. A grants and contributions program, delivered through Library Services provided funding to municipal councils for the operation of library programs, as well as the training of local staff thorough regional and distance education courses. The Government Library was transferred to the Legislative Assembly in 1992 when Public Library Services became part of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

The Cultural Affairs Division operated between 1986-1989; this division supported, promoted and enhanced cultural diversity and the arts in the Northwest Territories. This task was accomplished through the distribution of grants and contributions, research, consultation and the development of policy and legislation. Cultural Affairs also provided administrative services and professional advice to the Northwest Territories Arts Council.

The Northern Communications Program was responsible for maintaining satellite receiving and transmitting equipment and providing CBC radio and television services to the communities of the Northwest Territories. This program evolved into the Audiovisual Section in 1989 and then into the Television and Radio Services Division that operated between 1990-91. Responsibilities included researching and developing the options for GNWT membership in Television Northern Canada (TVNC), which began broadcasting in 1992, as well as the handling of video/film production and distribution needs of the GNWT. This division also provided contributions to community broadcasting societies and regional native communications societies to support the production and broadcast of culturally relevant radio and TV programming in aboriginal languages. The division contributed to the three major regional aboriginal communications groups; Inuit Broadcasting Company, Native Communications Society of the Western Arctic and Inuvialuit Broadcasting Society. Television and Radio Services was also responsible for the maintenance of television and radio facilities in 27 small communities throughout the Northwest Territories.

In August of 1992, the Department of Culture and Communications was combined with the Department of Education, to form the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

Bill Stewart was born on June 12, 1950 in Darlington Country Durham, England. He was educated in Darlington and studied filmmaking at Teesside College of Art and subsequently did three years post-graduate study at the School of Film and Television of the Royal College of Art in London. He graduated in 1974 with a Master of Arts. In 1974, he immigrated to Canada and worked as a Film Editor for CBC in Toronto, where he worked on daily film reports of Justice Thomas Berger's Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry and Dean Lysik's Alaska Pipeline Inquiry. He arrived in Yellowknife in 1978 as the Film Editor for the new CBC North Television Centre. In 1980, he left CBC and joined the Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Information, where he was the Technical Production Officer. He became Manager of that Audio-Visual Unit in 1981 and in 1983, coordinated the Dene Video Information Project. He participated in the filming of the 1981 "Last Mooseskin Boat Project." The project, jointly sponsored by the Native Communications Society of the Western NWT, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, and the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Information, involved the building of a mooseskin boat by the Mountain Dene and the documentation of this process. He left the Department of Information in 1988 and moved to Edmonton where he joined the Government of Alberta as the Film and Video Consultant for Alberta Culture.