French filmmakers journey to Nome to analysis Lillian Alling

“Mystery Woman Continues Journey to Nome,” learn the headline in The Nome Nugget newspaper on August 3, 1929. The so-called Mystery Woman referenced was Lillian Alling, a Polish immigrant who had spent the earlier three years touring throughout North America from New York City, hoping to cross the Bering Strait and making her manner again residence to Poland. That article within the Nugget and a following article on August 31 had been the final accounts of Alling earlier than she disappeared from the modern historic document.
Differing later accounts on Alling have her drowning in a river between Nome and Teller or making it to Cape Prince of Wales. One story claims that in autumn 1930, a lady dressed like an American or European was seen within the firm of three Eskimo males from Diomede in Providenya.
And now, two French filmmakers have arrived in Nome to see if they’ll discover out extra about Alling. Aurélie Pollet, director of the upcoming animated documentary The Mystery Woman, and assistant director, Gabrielle Dembinski, arrived in Nome final week to do analysis on Alling’s time within the area.
Pollet and Dembinski are on the lookout for any accounts or proof of Alling’s time on the Seward Peninsula. They hope to interview members of the neighborhood who could have family members or ancestors who met Alling, in addition to higher perceive the land and tradition of the land Alling traveled by means of.
Pollet initially heard about Alling 15 years in the past, when she picked up a graphic novel referred to as The Lillian Legend. Very shortly, she realized she needed to make a film in regards to the story. “When I make my first research from the little comic strip, I realized that it was a fiction comic strip based on a real fact,” she mentioned. “The author invent a lot of things, very dramatic things.”
Pollet mentioned that as she saved researching and studying about Alling, she noticed that each story about Alling painted her as a solo adventurer. “The only thing it was missing everywhere, it was a point of view of the people who lived in the territory of the First Nations people,” she mentioned. “I thought that, ‘She crossed all this territory, there are a lot of communities in this territory, maybe they remember something.’”
Last 12 months, the filmmakers traveled alongside southern parts of Alling’s route in British Columbia. “We met some people who’ve heard things from their uncles or their grandparents talking about that story,” mentioned Dembinski. “That’s why we’re here trying to talk with people to see, maybe somebody remembers a relative talking about this.”
“Lilian was able to complete her journey because she was not alone. She was often helped and guided along the way by native communities,” mentioned Dembinski. “They led her along their ancestral trails, taught her how to survive in the wilderness, and so if Lillian was able to reach Siberia, it was thanks to the help of these people.”
Pollet mentioned Alling’s story is a world story. Alling got here from Poland and skilled the tough interval after World War One earlier than coming to America. Then she crossed North America to attempt to get again residence. “It’s a story about migration,” mentioned Pollet.
“It’s a human story with a lot of people who help other people,” mentioned Pollet. “It was very important to us to tell this story, and not only the story about a lonely woman alone in the wilderness.”
While on the town, Pollet and Dembinski have met with members of the neighborhood and explored The Nome Nugget newspaper’s archives. They are holding an occasion July 10 on the Katirvik Cultural Center from 1:30 to three p.m. for neighborhood members to study Alling and share reminiscences of the area. A youth filmmaking workshop will observe. To be taught extra in regards to the occasion or contact the filmmakers when they’re on the town, attain out to Ukallaysaaq Okleasik at [email protected].