The World Famous Gopher Hole Museum

This short documentary is an oddly endearing portrait of Torrington, a hamlet in Alberta, Canada, and the institution at its heart: the World Famous Gopher Hole Museum. Opened in 1996, the tourist attraction features taxidermied Richardson’s ground squirrels assembled into hand-crafted dioramas that recreate scenes from the town’s past – including its many shops and gathering places. The film’s guide is Dianne Kurta, the museum’s long-time curator, who at the time of filming was stepping back due to health issues.

As she showcases dioramas depicting a Torrington that no longer exists, the film shifts from a quirky small-town portrait into a bittersweet meditation on the struggle to remember and be remembered, and the inevitability of change. Directors: Chelsea McMullan, Douglas Nayler A puppeteer makes sense of an overwhelming world by shrinking it down to size An Indigenous myth and a geological survey elicit two ways of knowing one place Fifty years ago, a train collided with Jack and Betty’s car. Here’s how they remember it There’s a gentle artistry to a museum taxidermist’s craft Life in one of Canada’s northernmost villages, where the land is sinking into the sea In the town once named Asbestos, locals ponder the voids industry left in its wake Is a ‘gastronomic society’ dinner the height of decadence, or an act of artistry?

A gentle stroll through an owl sanctuary might just restore your faith in humanity Long before internet posts of cute animals, there were Victorian taxidermy tableaux