An award-winning documentary is putting Manitoba back on the big screen. It’s called “Everything We Need is Here,” and it focuses on wild mushroom foraging in Manitoba’s forests. Director and producer Katharina Stieffenhofer described the film as an “intricately woven, three-strand story,” with themes of environmental and social justice. She said beyond the mushroom foraging, the documentary showcases the work of the Coalition to Save Lemay Forest, as well as those defending their traditional territory against silica sand mining. “Tiffany Grenkow, the protagonist [and] the forager, connects all of these story strands and takes us through the seasons, through the foraging and through Manitoba, our beautiful seasons and our beautiful landscapes,” she said in an interview with Your Morning Winnipeg on Wednesday. Stieffenhofer said she wanted to make this film due to her deep care for the land, climate and environment. She explained she set out to create a personal film that would “get under people’s skin” and push them to fall in love with nature. “When people are more connected with nature, they care more and they’re much more likely to stand up and defend nature,” she said. “That’s what we all need to do.” The film, which was shot in Winnipeg, Lemay Forest, and Sandilands, won the award for the best environmental documentary at the 2026 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival—something Stieffenhofer described as incredibly thrilling and rewarding. “I hope this win of best environmental documentary will help to elevate the visibility of my documentary, so more people see it, so the message gets out to more people,” she said, adding that she hopes the film moves political leaders to create policy to protect trees. Those interested can watch the documentary on Bell Fibe TV1.
