Taormina Film Festival: Review of "The Issue with Tissue"

Environmental Exposé by Filmmaker Michael Zelniker

A Documentary-Style Narrative

Last evening at the ancient Taormina Amphitheater, dating back to 200 BC, Martin Scorsese and Helen Hunt received awards against the backdrop of Mount Etna shrouded in darkness. In a setting preserved for millennia, two of international cinema's greatest representatives were honored. Meanwhile, today's screening by director Michael Zelniker represents the failure to preserve a global resource of vital importance to humanity. "The Issue with Tissue" serves as an open letter of protest that would pose an ironic question if it weren't equally disturbing.

Where does the paper bundled in rolls that we see on every supermarket shelf come from? From the deforestation of the Boreal Forest. "Canada ranks as the third nation in annual deforestation rate, behind only Russia and Brazil." But Zelniker's exposé goes further, not stopping at the loss of trees that constitute the world's largest lung. Instead, it tackles a sensitive, profound issue never fully processed: the assimilation of indigenous populations into colonialist culture. Through interviews and testimonies, Michael Zelniker denounces the methods used by Canadian governments to assimilate the territories of Indian reservations.

According to testimonies reported by the director, this assimilation was perpetuated through the establishment of residential schools managed by religious organizations that were also the scene of crimes not yet fully investigated. The documentary develops a dual critique: on one hand, the industrialization of deforestation; on the other, the means used to achieve it—assimilating the indigenous population to gain access to reservation territories. The sequences follow a documentary style, predominantly organized around testimonies, with the participation of experts who expand on the phenomenon of environmental degradation. Zelniker's direction has achieved its intended purpose of raising awareness, leaving the testimonies to pose questions about the methods allegedly used by governments