14 minutes of Mohawk ironworkers dancing with death 800 feet up, no nets.
A dizzying view of Manhattan in the 1960s, the tallest town in the world, and the men who work cloud-high to keep it growing. They are the Mohawk Indians from Kahnawake, near Montréal, famed for their skill in erecting the steel frames of skyscrapers. The film shows their nimble work, high above the pavement, but there are also glimpses of the quieter community life of the old Kahnawake Reserve.
Cinematography
Those vertigo shots predate GoPro by 45 years.
Direction
Owen lets silence do what narration can't.
Director
Don Owen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Mohawk ironworker tradition began with the 1886 Quebec Bridge disaster—many Kahnawake men were hired for dangerous cleanup, proving their skill under trauma.
Director Don Owen shot this for the National Film Board of Canada between features; it's now taught in documentary programs as pure visual storytelling.
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