Directed by Ellen Frankenstein • Documentary • 1998 • 30 minutes

Stan Marsden is a resident of the small town in a Alaska, a member of the Tsimshian Tribe, and a master woodcarver. He is also a father who lost a son to a cocaine overdose. Unable to display his grief through traditional channels, Marsden decides that a totem pole dedicated to the memory of his son would be a way to heal and invites the community to take part. How this totem became a symbol of healing not just for a man but for an entire community is the subject of Carved From the Heart.

Carved from the Heart intertwines the process of carving and erecting the Healing Heart totem pole with the participants' stories of grief and loss, substance abuse and suicide. This powerful film explores questions of death and dying and the impact of domestic violence, intergenerational trauma, and war on veterans and their families.