Indigenous Film Programme
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INDIGENOUS FILM PROGRAMME "Please don't stop doing this. It's inclusive and it continues to strengthen the idea that these kids count, these communities count, and that people all over Canada are ready to listen to them." — Cathy Elliott, Program Director, DAREarts REEL CANADA WHO WE ARE Uniting our nation through film REEL CANADA is a charitable organization whose mission is to introduce new audiences to the power and diversity of Canadian film. Our travelling film festival has held nearly 1,200 screenings and reached more than 600,000 students — and it just keeps growing. WHAT WE DO WHY WE DO IT Our work is delivered via three core programmes: We believe — and our audiences confirm — that seeing oneself on film can be a profound and Our Films in Our Schools: For over 11 years, transformative experience. Canadian film depicts we have helped teachers and students across the unique experience of Canadians in a way Canada organize over one thousand screenings of that the commercial marketplace generally does Canadian film, providing educational resources to not provide. For young people and newcomers facilitate classroom integration. especially, who are actively engaged in understanding their place in the world, Canadian Welcome to Canada: We introduce new Canadians movies offer a way to see themselves and consider to Canadian film and culture through festival the qualities and values that define us. events designed specifically for English-language learners of all ages. Movies are a mirror. Canadian movies reflect the Canadian experience. Great Canadian movies tell National Canadian Film Day (NCFD): An annual us who we are as individuals and have the power one-day event where Canadians from coast to to help bring us together as a country. coast to coast get together to watch a great Canadian film — across all major platforms, online, and in theatres. Save the date: April 19, 2017! Each of these initiatives incorporates the wealth of incredible work created by Indigenous filmmakers. GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY Calling all champions of Indigenous film! We’re looking to partner with communities in every corner of the country — no matter how remote — to expand our Indigenous programming for National Canadian Film Day 150. REEL CANADA can offer programming support, promotional materials, and even a screening party kit — entirely free of charge. If you are interested in attending or hosting an event in your community on April 19, 2017, contact us at [email protected]. 1 GET INVOLVED LESSON PLANS IN YOUR CLASSROOM AND RESOURCES We bring Canadian films to high school students in grades With hundreds of school screenings under our belt, we 9 to 12 with a one-day film festival programmed by the can give you effective tools to get your colleagues and participants themselves. Festival events can serve students excited about your event, and work with you to audiences of any size, from just a few classrooms to a create a festival that will resonate with your community. whole school. Best of all, we offer these festivals to schools entirely FREE OF CHARGE! We offer: The films in our Indigenous Film Programme may be z Film-specific lesson plans for all feature films in this incorporated into a larger festival of Canadian film or programme selected on their own for specially-themed events. They z Lesson plans for Indigenous and Native studies provide rich opportunities for dialogue whether for courses Indigenous, non-Indigenous or mixed audiences. z Lesson plans about Canadian film and storytelling for Films in this programme feature the voices and stories of grades 9 to 12 English and media courses Abenaki, Algonquin, Anishinaabek, Cree, Gwich'in, Inuit, z Games, quizzes and other resources to help teachers Métis, Mi'kmaq, Iroquois, Mohawk, Northern Tutchone, bring this important part of our culture to their Ojibwa, Saulteaux, Tsilhqot'in and other nations. students. Our students and“ staff cannot stop talking “ about this awesome experience. — Ngozi Okongwu, Teacher, Middlefield CI, Markham, ON Email [email protected] or call 1-855-733-5709 to start planning a festival or to access our resources. 2 THE FILMS We are committed to celebrating the work of Indigenous filmmakers and believe in the importance of telling their stories in their voice and from their point of view. Please note: Our use of the term Indigenous is inclusive of Métis, Inuit, Status and Non-Status peoples. LEGEND Denotes films written, directed or produced by Indigenous artists. Denotes films made by non-Indigenous artists, but which include significant Indigenous themes.* Denotes films that are appropriate for English- ESL language learners. GRADES 11–12 Denotes films that contain mature subject matter. Denotes films that were produced by the National Film Board of Canada. NOTES ON FILM RATINGS Our catalogue lists the Ontario Film Review Board’s ratings for each film. To check the rating of a particular film in other provinces and territories, please consult the film’s page on our website, www.reelcanada.ca/films. The rating “NR” denotes a film that has never received theatrical distribution and was therefore never rated by any provincial government film ratings agencies. * Included in the Programme are films by non-Indigenous artists. We have included these films as their stories feature Indigenous actors and/or offer a nuanced portrayal of Indigenous characters, histories and lifestyles. Indigenous educators have screened these works and found them to be valuable learning resources. For the complete REEL CANADA catalogue of great Canadian films, visit www.reelcanada.ca or write to [email protected]. 3 FEATURE FILMS BY INDIGENOUS ARTISTS ANGRY INUK (2016) Director/Writer: Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk). 85 minutes. PG We all know about the terrible “brutality” of the arctic seal hunt—or do we? Turns out there are other sides to this story: it's the story of families that need to be fed, the story of a hunting practice that began centuries ago, and the story of a tradition that is central to the economy and food security of Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic. Angry Inuk contains a story that’s over 4,000 years old. The seal hunt is not exactly a laughing matter, but humour and technical savvy go a long way to debunk certain claims. Wryly tackling both misinformation and aggressive appeals to emotion, Inuk filmmaker Arnaquq-Baril equips herself and her community with the powers of social media — and yes, #sealfies — to reframe a ALETHEA ARNAQUQ-BARIL controversial topic as a cultural issue in this 2016 Audience Award-winning Hot Docs hit. Arnaquq-Baril is an award-winning Inuk filmmaker whose work has screened on “Angry Inuk delivers important information about an issue we tend to think we know CBC and APTN, and at festivals like Hot Docs everything about, and delivers a powerful emotional punch.” and imagineNATIVE. Notable credits include — Susan G. Cole, NOW Magazine Aviliaq/Entwined, The Embargo Project, and Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos. ATANARJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER (2001) Director: Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk). Screenwriter: Paul Apak Angilirq (Inuk). Starring: Natar Ungalaaq (Inuk), Sylvia Ivalu (Inuk), Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq (Inuk), Lucy Tulugarjuk (Inuk). 161 minutes. AA (Inuktitut with English subtitles) Based on an ancient Inuit legend, Atanarjuat is an epic tale of love, betrayal and revenge. The beautiful Atuat (Ivalu) has been promised to the short-fused Oki (Arnatsiaq), the son of the tribe’s leader. However, she loves the good-natured Atanarjuat (Ungalaaq), a fast runner and excellent hunter. When Atanarjuat is forced to battle the jealous Oki for Atuat’s hand, the events that follow determine not only his fate, but that of his people. Atanarjuat won 20 awards, including eight Genies and the Caméra d’Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ZACHARIAS KUNUK An Officer of the Order of Canada, Kunuk is an “I am not surprised that The Fast Runner has been a box office hit... It is unlike Inuk director and producer. In 2015, Atanarjuat anything most audiences will ever have seen, and yet it tells a universal story.” was selected as the number one Canadian — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times film of all time, according to TIFF’s Canada’s All-Time Top Ten List. His latest film is Maliglutit NOTE: Due to the unusually long run time of this film, if you would like to screen (Searchers). Atanarjuat, please contact us to discuss the logistics. CLUB NATIVE (2008) Director/Writer: Tracey Deer (Mohawk). 78 minutes. NR On the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake, outside of Montreal, there are two unspoken rules: don’t marry a white person, and don’t have a child with one. The consequences of ignoring these rules can be dire — loss of membership on the reserve for yourself and your child. For those who incur them, the results can be devastating. In this honest and affecting doc, filmmaker Tracey Deer follows the stories of four Kahnawake women whose lives have been affected by these rules, shedding light on contemporary Indigenous identity and asking questions about how we all understand who we are. You could hear a TRACEY DEER pin drop in the In 2008, Deer became the first Mohawk With her own family as a poignant case study, woman to win a Gemini Award in Best Deer’s film will strike a chord with anyone auditorium! Documentary Writing for Club Native. Her who’s ever thought about ethnicity, culture or — Teacher, Maniwaki Woodland debut doc was the award-winning Mohawk School, Maniwaki, QC Girls, which was adapted into a dramatic TV their place in the world. series in 2014, with Deer serving as writer, director and producer. 4 EMPIRE OF DIRT GRADES 11–12 (2013) Director: Peter Stebbings.