Florian's Knights is a documentary coming to the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre this Saturday (Dec 11th) at 7:30 pm. It tells the story of firefighters from Canada and the US who came together to form a motorcycle club as a way of coping with the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

The man behind the documentary has strong ties to Moose Jaw. Panayioti Yannitsos grew up in Regina but has a lot of family in the Friendly City. "I grew up going to Rodo's Pizza, going to Nick's Place, going to the Mad Greek, so I have a lot of family from Moose Jaw, my mother's side is from Moose Jaw." Yannitsos moved to Vancouver when he was 18 to pursue filmmaking and 10 years later is excited to be able to bring some of his work to the Mae Wilson Theatre; "It's really special for me, so it's an exciting time." 

His first feature-length documentary was called "Freedom Besieged" and dove into the Greek economic crisis and he has produced television series and scripted works in Canada, the United States, China, and Greece. "I've been able to work around the world but Florian's Knights right now, I would probably call it the most important film of my career to date." Moose Jaw will be the 43rd city that the film has come to so far.  

The film focuses on firefighters from New York, Vancouver, Toronto, and Detroit who are part of motorcycle clubs not only because riding decreases stress on a daily basis but also for the brotherhood and sisterhood that they find within these support groups. One of the big surprises for Yannitsos in making the film was to see how diverse the job of a firefighter is; "To find out that some departments, here in Vancouver for example, can see over 20 overdoses in a shift, we're dealing with an opioid crisis out here, firefighters in Moose Jaw will have their own issues that go far beyond just the structure fire that comes along once in a while. I think it's great for the public to see what the modern identity of firefighting really is and the toll that can take." The film is focused on telling the story of firefighters and also includes insights from a UCLA neuroscientist who dives into why riding a motorcycle helps these firefighters cope with PTSD.

Since the film came out, Yannitsos has had first responders from across the continent reach out to him to share their own stories. He has also had several firefighters express that the movie really gives voice to a story that they have been trying to convey for a long time, about what being a firefighter really is. Yannitsos says "That to me is the greatest honour, that we were able to build that bridge of communication that has never been there, that's what I'm really excited about when it comes to what this film is doing."

Florian's Knights plays at 7:30 pm, Saturday night at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre. You can purchase tickets online on the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre website.