Like all oil boomtowns, Fort McMurray is a magnet for people who want to make their fortunes. Shot over three years, this profoundly human portrait captures the dreams and disappointments of six charismatic, ambitious young Canadian men and women who come from as far away as Sudan, Lebanon and the Philippines to make a better life. At the outset, most are optimistic about the future, working in lower-paid service jobs while trying to secure more lucrative jobs in the oil sands. Then oil prices tank, the economy goes into a tailspin, on-site jobs become scarce, and a year later, a catastrophic wildfire rages through town, destroying entire neighbourhoods. The stark industrial surroundings, increasingly polluted landscape and pervasive macho culture combine to create a powerful aura of impending doom as the workers come to grips with the economic realities and environmental toll of the oil industry. Lynne Fernie

Focus On Julia Ivanova program supported by K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation.