The Fairy Faith
Nominated for Best Documentary Genie Award
Atlantic Film Festival
A fairy couple tries to steal a man's shadow. Another takes a man's wife. And yet another,
claims a retired police chief, braided a horse's mane! "The little people." You can shrug them
off as superstition, but what explains their perennial appeal? As a boy, filmmaker John Walker learned the difference between a fairy tale and the fairy faith from his grandmother, who told
him that if your heart is open, the fairies and their fabled world can be seen in the landscape.
In search of this ancient belief, Walker travels to the moors of England, the Highlands of
Scotland and sacred sites in Ireland and Cape Breton. He meets a storyteller who saves an
ancient fairy thorn bush from town developers, a painter who conjures up their magical
features, and a Mi'kmaq elder who gives advice on how to understand the mysterious lot.
Directed by: John Walker
Producer: Kent Martin, John Walker
Editor: Angela Baker
Cinematography: Nigel Markham, John Walker
Sound: Alex Salter
John Walker Productions and the National Film Board