WINNIPEG FILM GROUP INDIGENOUS FILMMAKERS DISTRIBUTION CATALOGUE 2014 2 3 ABOUT THE ABOUT THIS CATALOGUE WINNIPEG FILM GROUP The Winnipeg Film Group Winnipeg’s Indigenous population makes up was founded in 1974 as one approximately 11% of the city’s overall population, of the first film production in comparison to the national average of centres in Canada. As 4%; however the organization has historically the organization’s initial vision document states, it struggled to proportionately reflect this diversity was established “with the within its supported filmmaker base. intention of collectively gathering the financial A decade ago, the organization began placing and material support and priority emphasis on strategic programming assistance necessary for with the objective of becoming more reflective the freedom to make our of its overall community, including placing own films and remain in the province.” This document increased focus on Indigenous, culturally diverse continues that “existing and women filmmakers. Special initiatives channels of exhibition and supporting Indigenous filmmakers include an distribution do not provide, ongoing presentation partnership between onto their own, a way of getting independent films its Cinematheque exhibition wing and Urban to the public,” and that one Shaman in Winnipeg and imagineNATIVE in of the main goals of the Toronto; the Mosaic Women’s Film Project, organization is to make this supporting the development of new Indigenous available. and culturally diverse women filmmakers; a The Winnipeg Film Group is pilot Aboriginal Artist in Residence program with a three-pronged organization, with a Cinematheque, a Shane Belcourt; presentation programs by production centre and a commissioned curators Michelle Latimer and distribution centre. Although Jenny Western; and its recently-released high FEATURED its distribution centre school educational resource guide, Finding is among the smallest Focus: Framing Canadian Métis and First in Canada, its strong INTRODUCTION provincial and regional Nations on Film. FILMMAKERS focus enables it to carry the work of filmmakers and Though the Winnipeg Film Group recognizes video artists who might that much work still needs to be done in this area otherwise be overlooked by – and work is indeed ongoing – on the occasion organizations in larger cities. of its 40th anniversary it is taking stock to The Winnipeg Film Group’s unique amalgamated nature celebrate what has been achieved. This catalogue also enables its distribution features works in the Winnipeg Film Group’s centre to support new distribution holdings by Indigenous filmmakers, filmmakers just emerging many of whom commenced their filmmaking from its sister production centre wing. careers as a result of the programs and support offered by the organization as a whole. Table of Contents Cecilia Araneda, Executive Director Featured Filmmakers .... 3 [email protected] Featured Works .......... 11 Monica Lowe, Distribution Director [email protected] Cover image: film still from Caroline Monnet’s Gephyrophobia. WINNIPEG FILM GROUP INDIGENOUS FILMMAKERS DISTRIBUTION CATALOGUE 4 5 MYRLE BALLARD WARREN CARIOU Dr. Myrle Ballard is a recent doctoral graduate of Warren Cariou grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan the Natural Resources Institute at the University and has worked as a construction worker, a of Manitoba and a Lake St. Martin First Nation technical writer, and a political aide. He holds a community member. She aspires to tell stories of Ph.D. in English from the University of Toronto indigenous struggle and resilience in the face of and now teaches Aboriginal Literature at the environmental racism and the denial of human rights. University of Manitoba, where he is Canada Research Chair and Director of the Centre for Flooding Hope, Dirs. Myrle Creative Writing and Oral Traditions. He is of Ballard, Shirley Thompson, Documentary, 20:28, 2012 Métis, German and Norwegian heritage, and (pg 15) Overburden, Dirs. Neil his writing explores the relationships between McArthur, Warren Cariou, Native and non-Native communities in Western Documentary, 14:57, 2009 (pg 19) Canada. His first book, The Exalted Company of Roadside Martyrs: Two Novellas (Coteau, 1999), SHANE BELCOURT Land of Oil and Water, garnered rave reviews, and his memoir Lake of Dirs. Neil McArthur, Warren Shane Belcourt is an award-winning Métis the Prairies won the Drainie-Taylor Prize and was Cariou, Documentary, nominated for the Charles Taylor prize. Land of filmmaker based in Toronto. His debut feature 43:25, 2009 (pg 17) film, Tkaronto, played many international film Oil and Water and Overburden are his first films. festivals and received several awards. In 2007, Belcourt was the recipient of the IFC Mentorship FILMMAKERS FEATURED Award and one of 22 filmmakers chosen for the GABRIEL CONSTANT 2007 TIFF Talent Lab. In 2010, he co-wrote and directed Boxed In, a short film produced by the Gabriel Constant is from the Opaskwayak Cree NFB that was included in the Canadian Pavilion Nation (OCN) in northern Manitoba. He is a F*%K YEAH, Dir. Shane at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Belcourt was also professional painter who also designs creatures Belcourt, Comedy/Fiction, selected to Telefilm’s Feature Aboriginal Storytellers and has an interest in costume-making. 9:36, 2010 ( pg 14) Program to further develop his next dramatic Constant attended the Applied Multimedia Training Center in Winnipeg and has worked Keeping Quiet, Dir. Shane feature film, Better Place and was selected the with the OCN organization in a variety of roles. FEATURED FILMMAKERS FEATURED Belcourt, Drama/Fiction, Filmmaker in Residence by the Winnipeg Film 9:16, 2010 (pg 17) Group. Belcourt and his writer partner, Duane He has a strong interest in visual FX for film and Murray, were accepted into the National Screen video and has made several short experimental A Common Experience, Finding Sergeant Partridge, films. Finding Sergeant Partridge is his first Dir. Shane Belcourt, Drama/ Institute’s Totally Television program in 2011. Dirs. Gabriel Constant, Neil documentary. Fiction, 10:20, 2013 (pg 12) Belcourt is currently developing his next feature Bignell, Documentary, 14:00, film, Hard Feelings. 2014 (pg 14) WINNIPEG FILM GROUP INDIGENOUS FILMMAKERS DISTRIBUTION CATALOGUE 6 7 BERNY HI DARRYL NEPINAK Berny Hi is endlessly fascinated by nature, Darryl Nepinak, a Saulteaux from the Ojibwe from the macro to the microcosmic levels, Nation, is best known for making short films and aspects of the human experience: beauty, with comedic, ironic twists, many of which he sensation, and our unique perception of time performs in himself. His film Zwei Indianer Aus and space. Hi celebrates glitches and flaws Winnipeg screened at the Berlin Film Festival in born during a manual, hands-on process. In 2009, and his works have recently been featured service to these creative inspirations, he is often at exhibitions at both Images Festival (Toronto) found working with analogue technologies, such and Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal as celluloid, while crafting as a stonecutter, Art (Winnipeg). carefully removing all that does not fit, through new media. Reel Tangata Films Good Morning Native Zwei Indianer Aus presents DNT, Dir. Darryl America, Dir. Darryl Winnipeg, Dir. Darryl George Bassler’s Perpetual Véronique à vélo, Nepinak, Documentary, Nepinak, Comedy/Fiction, Nepinak, Comedy/Fiction, Motion Machine, Dir. Berny Dir. Berny Hi, Chrystene Ells, 21:00, 2004 (pg 20) 5:08, 2006 (pg 16) 2:40, 2008 (pg 22) Hi, Animated Documentary, Experimental/Fiction, 9:49, Bannock, Dir. Darryl Bigfoot, Dir. Darryl Nepinak, 3:30, HD, 2014 (pg 15) 2011 (pg 22) Nepinak, Documentary, Comedy/Fiction, 13:00, 2007 7:00, 2006 (pg 13) (pg 13) Ming So, Dir. Darryl Nepinak, INDIAN, Dir. Darryl Nepinak, CAROLINE MONNET Experimental, 3:24, 2006 Comedy/Fiction, 1:40, 2008 FEATURED FILMMAKERS FEATURED Caroline Monnet is a self-taught award (pg 18) (pg 17) winning filmmaker and visual artist working in film/video, installation and printmaking. Her work has been exhibited in film festivals and JODY LEIGH PACEY galleries worldwide, including TIFF (Toronto), Jody Leigh Pacey is a young Aboriginal woman Clermont-Ferrand vidéoformes (France), Urban from Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba, Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art Gallery Canada. She has directed two music videos for (Winnipeg), Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Berlin), Winnipeg rappers Skelpa Squad and several Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art FEATURED FILMMAKERS FEATURED independent short films that have screened at (Winnipeg) and the Manguere Arts Centre festivals in Canada, the US and Nepal. Pacey is a (Auckland, NZ). Monnet is currently based recent graduate of the National Screen Institute. in Montréal, Canada. Sorrow’s Companion, Pick Up, Dir. Jody Leigh IKWÉ, Dir. Caroline Monnet Kwoni, Dir. Caroline Monnet, Dir. Jody Leigh Pacey, Drama/ Pacey, Drama/Fiction, 5:05, Experimental Documentary, Documentary, 2:30, 2010 Fiction, 15:30, 2010 (pg 21) 2011 (pg 20) 4:35, 2009 (pg 16) (pg 17) Tashina, Dir. Caroline Warchild, Dir. Caroline Monnet, Documentary, Monnet, Documentary, 4:43, 2010 (pg 21) 5:40, 2010 (pg 22) Gephyrophobia, Dir. Caroline Monnet, Experimental Documentary, 2:21, 2012 (pg 15) WINNIPEG FILM GROUP INDIGENOUS FILMMAKERS DISTRIBUTION CATALOGUE 8 9 THE EPHEMERALS JACKIE TRAVERSE The Ephemerals is a collective of Winnipeg artists Jackie Traverse is a graduate from the School of and curators who have been working together Fine Arts at