Films 2003

Angakkuiit: Shaman Stories

Canada

2003

48 min

Inuktitut with English subtitles

Angakkuiit is the latest film by Zacharias Kunuk, Camera d’Or winning director of Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. In Angakkuiit, Kunuk combines interviews with elders with footage of people out on the land. The elders talk about Inuit Shamanic practice, and how it changed as Catholic and Anglican missionaries came to the north. The missionaries gained a foothold by telling stories that incorporated Christian figures into the Inuit pantheon, like the evil spirit Satanasi. Interviews with the elders are intercut with footage of people out on the land, hunting seal and caribou. These scenes are reminiscent of Kunuk’s documentary series, Nunavut: Our Land.

Presentation funded by Telefilm Canada

Imprints of Our Ancestors: Diich’anjoo Gookai’ Deek’it

Canada

2003

47 min

Gwitchin and English with English subtitles

The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation live in the northern part of the Yukon territory, around the town of Old Crow; their traditional lands extend into the extreme northwest of the NWT, and into northeast Alaska. Using camcorders and computers, they are interviewing community elders and going out on the land in an attempt to keep their cultural heritage alive. Incorporating archival footage, as well as interviews with elders and other modern footage, Imprints of our Ancestors is part of an ongoing project of the Vuntut Gwitchin to document and preserve their history.

Locked Horns: The Fate of Old Crow

Canada

2003

41 min

Old Crow, in northern Yukon, has been quietly minding its own business, hunting caribou and living well for a very long time. They would be content to continue a 10,000 year old lifestyle for another 10,000 years. Unfortunately, the energy giants of the United States have remembered that there might be oil and gas below the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Located just across the Alaska Yukon border, the Refuge is also the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd. Without caribou, Old Crow will be irreversibly changed. How can a village of 285 people take on everything the American energy juggernaut throws? Just watch them.

Presentation funded by Telefilm Canada

Lonely Boy Richard

Australia

2003

55 min

Richard Wannambi is 35 years old. He lives in the northern community of Yirrkala, Northern Territories, Australia. He has been drinking since he was 14 years old. He is heading towards a court date which could see him incarcerated for a very long time. Lonely Boy Richard portrays one of Australia’s most difficult and divisive social concerns — three quarters of the people behind bars in the Northern Territory are Indigenous men. Shot over one year in 2002-03, the film follows Richard as he lives his life and accepts responsibility for his fate. This film takes a tragically familiar problem in Australia (and Canada) and presents the human element behind the all too familiar headlines.

Media Nomads: The Thaiday Brothers

Australia

2002

26 min

Bill and Mick Thaiday are brothers, pioneers of aboriginal broadcasting in Australia. As children, they were constrained by the strict regime of the Aboriginal Protection Act. As young men, they fell into the grip of alcoholism in the streets and parks of the cities. But when they attended a gathering of aboriginal media activists, their lives were changed forever. They became radio hosts, and before long they were traveling around the country, teaching media production skills to young aboriginals. They’ve been building radio stations and media production centres in remote aboriginal communities for the last twenty years.

The People Go On

Canada

2003

69 min

In the heart of southern Alberta is the home of the Kainai Blood Indians. The land of the Blood contains coulees, grassy plains, rivers, and mountains. However, as described by the subjects in the documentary, land is more than just physical landforms. It is the main source of inspiration for the Kainai, and has deeply influenced their spirituality, their art, and their stories and memories. Weaving together stories from the Kainai with experimental historic images, filmmaker Loretta Todd creates a new form of documentary and a dialogue about what land is.

Presentation funded by NFB

Totem: The Return of the G’psgolox Pole

Canada

2003

70 min

In 1929, the Haisla people of northwestern British Columbia returned from a fishing trip to find a 9-metre-high totem pole, known as the G’psgolox pole, severed at the base and removed from their village. The fate of the 19th century pole remained unknown to the Haisla for over sixty years. This long awaited new film from director Gil Cardinal reveals the Haisla’s recent discovery of the pole in a Stockholm museum where it is considered state property by the Swedish government. From the lush rainforest near Kitamaat Village, BC, to the National Museum of Ethnography in Sweden, the documentary traces the fascinating journey of the Haisla to reclaim the traditional mortuary pole. Bringing to light a powerful story of cultural rejuvenation, the film raises provocative questions about the ownership and meaning of Aboriginal objects held in museums.

Cardinal skillfully layers compelling interviews, striking imagery and rare footage of master carvers as they create a replica pole. The Haisla have fulfilled a promise to the museum to replace the original totem. Now, having honoured their end of the bargain, they await the return of the G’psgolox pole.

Presentation funded by NFB

The World of American Indian Dance

USA

2003

47 min

The beauty, artistry, athleticism and competition of Native American dance are illustrated dramatically in The World of American Indian Dance. This one-hour documentary highlights the many dance styles incorporated into the culture from various Native American tribes and nations. Join actor Peter Coyote as he explores the meanings and origins of American Indian Dance, and learn how it has fortified and sustained the survival of this race. While having a powerful influence on US/Indian relationships, the dance demonstrates the ancient as well as the new struggles between intertribal cultures, progress, tradition, spirituality and commerce.

Presentation funded by Edmonton Film Commission

Is There An Aboriginial Film Style?

Does an aboriginal filmmaker’s styles change depending on the country in which they create? Are aboriginal stories bering sublimated by the format of today’s filmmaking industry?