Educational Catalogue: Indigenous-made Films
- Own Voice
Beans
Beans takes place at the height of the 1990 Mohawk Resistance at Kanehsatà:ke (also known as the Oka Crisis), a 78-day standoff between Indigenous land defenders, Quebec police, the RCMP and the Canadian military, over the proposed expansion of a golf course on to a Mohawk burial ground. Twelve-year-old Tekehentahkhwa (nicknamed “Beans”, played by Kiawentiio) is forced into an early coming of age by these events, as her innocence turns to anger over the treatment of her people.
Drawing from her own experiences as a child, director Tracey Deer provides a poignant and engaging chronicle of these real-life events that shook the nation, as well as a much-needed look at how the traumatic events impacted youth in the community.
Beans premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the 2021 Canadian Screen Award for Best Picture.
Content Note: This film includes coarse language, violence, and thematic elements that may not be suitable for all audiences.
Director
Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
Deer is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and writer who has directed documentaries such as Club Native and Mohawk Girls, which was adapted into a TV series that ran for five seasons and earned numerous CSA nominations. Her narrative feature debut, Beans, won eleven awards, including Best Picture at the CSAs. She has also directed episodes of Hudson & Rex, Rutherford Falls, Three Pines, and Outlander.
Writers
Meredith Vuchnich, Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
Cast
Brittany Leborgne (Mohawk), Rainbow Dickerson (Rappahannock), Violah Beauvais (Mohawk), Dawn Ford, Kiawentiio (Mohawk)
Producer
Anne-Marie Gélinas
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Discrimination, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Dub, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
- Own Voice
Trick or Treaty?
One of the masters of Canadian documentary cinema, Alanis Obomsawin has spent decades chronicling the injustices visited on First Nations communities, creating a remarkable body of work. In her latest film, she digs into the difficult history of Treaty 9, the infamous 1905 agreement in which First Nations communities allegedly relinquished their sovereignty over their traditional lands.
Setting the film against the recent resurgence of First Nations activism (Chief Theresa Spence’s hunger strike and the Idle No More movement), Obomsawin interviews legal, historical and cultural experts — as well as people whose ancestors were present when the treaty was signed — to explore some fundamental questions about Canada’s relationship with our First Nations.
“Obomsawin’s documentaries inform, inspire and shock us. Trick or Treaty? is no different.” — Nadya Domingo, Toronto Film Scene
Director
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Legendary Abenaki filmmaker Obomsawin has made over 50 documentaries on issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada, including Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, Trick or Treaty?, Is the Crown at War with Us?, Our People Will Be Healed, and Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger. Her most recent film is the short documentary Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair. Next, she is set to appear in an episode of Marie Clements' Bones of Crows: The Series.
Writer
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Producers
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki), Annette Clarke
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Environment, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
- Own Voice
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
Two Indigenous women from vastly different backgrounds find their worlds colliding on an East Vancouver sidewalk when domestic violence forces one of them, a pregnant teen named Rosie (Violet Nelson), to flee her home.
Àila (Tailfeathers) swiftly offers her shelter, and as their intimate yet challenging encounter develops, the women weave a fragile bond, and must face their own unique struggles with the complexities of motherhood, class, race, and the ongoing legacy of colonialism.
Directors
Kathleen Hepburn, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi)
Writers
Kathleen Hepburn, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi)
Cast
Charlie Hannah, Violet Nelson (Kwakwakaʼwakw), Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi)
Producers
Lori Lozinski, Tyler Hagan, Alan Milligan
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
levelFILM
The Grizzlies
Based on an inspiring true story, The Grizzlies is a powerful film about the determination and resilience of a group of Inuit youth struggling with the legacy of colonization.
When Russ Sheppard (Schnetzer) moves to Kugluktuk, NU, to be a teacher, he is shocked by the challenges facing the community, most especially the ongoing epidemic of teen suicide. Russ introduces a lacrosse programme and gradually wins the trust of his students. Together, the youth find a sense of pride and purpose in themselves and their community.
The Grizzlies was called “transcendently moving” by The Hollywood Reporter and has won multiple awards and been screened to acclaim at film festivals around the world. Cast members Paul Nutarariaq and Anna Lambe earned Canadian Screen Award nominations for their performances.
* Please note that this film has Indigenous producers, but not an Indigenous director. imagineNATIVE defines an Indigenous-made film as one directed or co-directed by an Indigenous person.
Director
Miranda de Pencier
De Pencier is a director and producer whose first short film, Throat Song, won four awards, including the Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Action Short. Her feature directorial debut, The Grizzlies, earned the DGC’s Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film. As a producer, she has worked on several films, including Cake, Beginners, and Thanks for Sharing, as well as episodes of Anne with an E, Black Life: Untold Stories, and North of North.
Writers
Moira Walley-Beckett, Graham Yost
Cast
Ricky Martin-Pahtaykan (Plains Cree/Stoney Nakoda), Ben Schnetzer, Anna Lambe (Inuk), Paul Nutarariaq (Inuk), Emerald MacDonald (Inuk)
Producers
Zanne Devine, Miranda de Pencier, Damon D'Oliveira, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk), Stacey Aglok MacDonald (Inuk)
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Discrimination, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Sports
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
- Own Voice
Abandoned: Angelique’s Isle
In the midst of the 1845 mining boom on the shores of Lake Superior, newlywed Anishinaabe woman Angelique (Julia Jones) agrees to accompany her voyageur husband on a copper expedition. Left by the rest of the crew to guard a large discovery on a remote island, the couple must survive for weeks dealing with the harsh winter conditions and a quickly dwindling food supply.
As hunger sets in, Angelique – a devout Christian – struggles with her faith and must rely on the teachings she received from her grandmother in order to survive. A testament to the strength and resilience of Indigenous women, Angelique’s Isle also stars Tantoo Cardinal and Aden Young.
Based on the novel Angelique Abandoned by James R. Stevens and the true story of 17-year-old Angelique Mott, Angelique’s Isle is a beautiful and harrowing true tale of perseverance and survival.
Directors
Marie-Hélène Cousineau
Cousineau is an award-winning writer, producer and filmmaker based in the Northwest Territories, who co-founded the filmmaking collective Arnait Video Productions, which has produced over 20 short and feature length films focused on uplifting the voices and culture of Inuit women. She co-directed Before Tomorrow, Uvanga (Myself), Sol, Angelique’s Isle and Restless River.
Michelle Derosier (Anishinaabe)
Derosier is an artist, activist, and filmmaker from Migisi Sahgaigan First Nation who has lived and worked in the North throughout her career. Her work has been shown internationally at festivals including Sundance, Traverse City, and imagineNATIVE. She has directed shorts such as Eagle vs. Sparrow, The Grandfather Drum, and Audrey’s Story, the feature Angelique’s Aisle, and episodes of Amplify and The Passionate Eye.
Writers
Michelle Derosier (Anishinaabe), James R. Stevens
Cast
Julia Jones (Choctaw/Chickasaw), Tantoo Cardinal (Cree/Métis), Aden Young, Charlie Carrick
Producers
Michelle Derosier (Anishinaabe), Amos Adetuyi, Dave Clement, Floyd Kane
Genre
Drama
Interests
Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
levelFILM
- Own Voice
Angry Inuk
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 controversial topic as a cultural issue in this 2016 Audience Award-winning Hot Docs hit.
“Angry Inuk delivers important information about an issue we tend to think we know everything about, and delivers a powerful emotional punch.”
— Susan G. Cole, NOW Magazine
Director
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk)
Arnaquq-Baril is an award-winning filmmaker whose credits include the short Aviliaq: Entwined, which was part of the anthology The Embargo Project, which she also produced. She directed the award-winning feature documentary Angry Inuk, and produced the features The Grizzlies and Slash/Back, and the documentary Twice Colonized. She also co-created the hit CBC, APTN, and Netflix comedy North of North.
Writer
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk)
Producers
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk), Bonnie Thompson
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Environment, ESL, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
English, Inuktitut
Language Versions
EN CC, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
- Own Voice
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
“I am not surprised that The Fast Runner has been a box office hit in its opening engagements. It is unlike anything most audiences will have ever seen, and yet it tells a universal story.” — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Director
Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)
In 2015, Atanarjuat was selected as TIFF’s number one Canadian film of all time. Kunuk has directed shorts such as Exile and Home and features such as Maliglutit, which was nominated for two CSAs. He recently directed the series Hunting With My Ancestors and executive produced SGaawaay K'uuna (Edge of the Knife). His latest feature, One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk, premiered at TIFF 2019. Most recently, he directed the short The Shaman’s Apprentice, which won the CSA for Best Animated Short among other awards at festivals worldwide.
Writer
Paul Apak Angilirq (Inuk)
Cast
Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq (Inuk), Lucy Tulugarjuk (Inuk), Natar Ungalaaq (Inuk), Sylvia Ivalu (Inuk)
Producers
Paul Apak Angilirq (Inuk), Norman Cohn, Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk), Germaine Ying Gee Wong
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Classics, Family Relationships, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
Inuktitut
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
Vtape
- Own Voice
Wapos Bay: Long Goodbyes
Maintaining the hilarious and heart-warming tone as well as the unique style of the award-winning Wapos Bay tv series, Long Goodbyes went on to win the Kidscreen award for Best TV Movie.
Director
Dennis Jackson (Cree)
Writers
Dennis Jackson (Cree), Melanie Jackson (Cree)
Cast
Raven Brass (Cree), Trevor Cameron (Métis), Lorne Cardinal, Gordon Tootoosis (Cree)
Genres
Animation, Family
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
Empire of Dirt
Powerful and inspiring, Empire of Dirt was nominated for five Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Picture.
“Empire of Dirt tells a traditional mothers-and-daughters story in a new way by making their Cree heritage and the role it has in their lives and relationships the true heart of the drama.” — Linda Barnard, Toronto Star
*Please note that this film has an Indigenous producer and screenwriter, but not an Indigenous director. imagineNATIVE defines an Indigenous-made film as one directed or co-directed by an Indigenous person.
Director
Peter Stebbings
Stebbings’ directorial debut was Defendor, and his second film, Empire of Dirt, was nominated for five CSAs. As an actor, his numerous credits include Citizen Duane, The Borgias, Bates Motel, Counting for Thunder and his newest film Percy Vs Goliath. He recently directed The Disappearance, which garnered four CSAs, and episodes of Frankie Drake Mysteries, The Sounds, and Killjoys. He is currently writing and directing the feature Running with Monsters.
Writer
Shannon Masters (Cree)
Cast
Cara Gee (Ojibwa), Shay Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho/Oglala Lakota/Mnicoujou Lakota), Jennifer Podemski (Anishinaabe), Luke Kirby
Producers
Jennifer Podemski (Anishinaabe), Bob Crowe, Bob Crowe, Heather K. Dahlstrom, Geoff Ewart
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Version
None
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
- Own Voice
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
This powerful documentary takes you right to the heart of the action, painting a sensitive and deeply affecting portrait of the people behind the barricades.
Winner of the Toronto International Film Festival’s Best Canadian Feature Film prize.
Director
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Legendary Abenaki filmmaker Obomsawin has made over 50 documentaries on issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada, including Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, Trick or Treaty?, Is the Crown at War with Us?, Our People Will Be Healed, and Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger. Her most recent film is the short documentary Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair. Next, she is set to appear in an episode of Marie Clements' Bones of Crows: The Series.
Writer
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Producers
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki), Colin Neale, Wolf Koenig
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Classics, Environment, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, EN Subtitles, FR CC, FR Dub, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
Maïna
Venturing north into enemy territory, Maïna is herself captured by Natak, the Inuit clan’s leader, and must navigate the perilous journey with him, to the “Land of Ice.”
Based on the novel by award-winning author Dominique Demers, this gripping and visually stunning film was nominated for six Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Picture.
Director
Michel Poulette
Montreal writer/director Poulette’s film Louis 19, le roi des ondes earned the Canadian Screen Award for Best First Feature as well as the Golden Reel Award. His feature Maïna was nominated for six Canadian Screen Awards and three Jutras. He directed Agent of Influence starring Oscar winner Christopher Plummer, several recent TV movies and the series Real Detective.
Writer
Pierre Billon
Cast
Uapeshkuss Thernish, Tantoo Cardinal (Cree/Métis), Graham Greene (Oneida), Roseanne Supernault (Cree/Métis)
Producers
Yves Fortin, Karine Martin
Genres
Action/Adventure, Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Literary Adaptation
Original Languages
English, Inuktitut
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Dub, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
Equinoxe Films
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Reel Injun
Director Neil Diamond takes the audience on a trip through time to explore the history of the “Hollywood Indian” and offers a refreshing, candid and personal analysis, tracing how these cinematic images have shaped and influenced the understanding of Indigenous culture and history.
“Impeccably well researched and crafted, Reel Injun neatly walks the line in balancing entertainment and education.” — Todd Brown, Twitch Film
Director
Neil Diamond (Cree)
Diamond has directed several award-winning documentaries that focus on Indigenous life and issues. He co-directed the short documentaries Cree Spoken Here, which garnered the Telefilm/APTN award for Best Aboriginal Documentary, and Inuit Cree Reconciliation, with Zacharias Kunuk. He also directed the feature documentary Reel Injun, which won ten awards, including three Geminis and a Peabody Award for best documentary, and co-directed Red Fever, and So Surreal: Behind the Masks.
Writers
Catherine Bainbridge, Neil Diamond (Cree), Jeremiah Hayes
Cast
Jesse Wente
Producers
Catherine Bainbridge, Linda Ludwick, Christina Fon
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, ESL, Global Experiences, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
- Own Voice
Birth of a Family
Between 1955 and 1985, the federal and provincial governments in Canada took an estimated 20,000 Indigenous children from their homes and placed them in the child welfare system. Often referred to as the Sixties Scoop, this policy was part of the same trend of forced assimilation as residential schools.
Betty Ann was one of these children, and over several decades has worked tirelessly to track down her three siblings. As the foursome piece together their shared history, their family begins to take shape.
This film tackles grief, redemption and discovery as it chronicles the family’s emotional reunion and captures an event that remains painfully elusive for many Indigenous people.
Director
Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
Hubbard is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and an associate professor in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies. Her NFB documentary Two Worlds Colliding won a Gemini and a Golden Sheaf Award. She has also directed the short film 7 Minutes, and the feature docs Birth of a Family, nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, which won 14 awards, including the CSA for best documentary and Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs 2019. She is a founding director of the International Buffalo Relations Institute. Her documentary Singing Back the Buffalo won three awards and was nominated for four others.
Writers
Betty Ann Adam (Dene), Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
Producer
Bonnie Thompson
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Biography, BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
- Own Voice
Rocks at Whiskey Trench
On August 28, 1990, in the midst of the Oka crisis, dozens of cars were driven from the Mohawk community of Kahnawake over Montreal’s Mercier Bridge, where an angry mob met them with violence — and rocks. Obomsawin’s documentary gives the Mohawk rebels a voice.
Director
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Legendary Abenaki filmmaker Obomsawin has made over 50 documentaries on issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada, including Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, Trick or Treaty?, Is the Crown at War with Us?, Our People Will Be Healed, and Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger. Her most recent film is the short documentary Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair. Next, she is set to appear in an episode of Marie Clements' Bones of Crows: The Series.
Writer
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Producer
Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Genres
Documentary, Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Environment, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Dub, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
- Own Voice
Kayak to Klemtu
When a prominent Kitasoo/Xai’Xais activist passes away, his 14-year-old niece Ella (Blaney) embarks on a kayak journey to take his ashes home to Klemtu. It’s a race against the clock as Ella tries to make it back in time to give a speech protesting a proposed pipeline that would cross Indigenous land.
Ella is joined by her aunt, cousin and grumpy uncle (Cardinal), as the four paddle with all their might through the Inside Passage and past the shores of the Great Bear Rainforest. Join this family on the adventure of a lifetime that reflects on the importance of protecting our lands for future generations.
Winner of the 2017 imagineNATIVE Audience Choice Award.
Director
Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk)
Hopkins is an alumna of the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, and has directed numerous shorts, including Button Blanket, Mohawk Midnight Runners, Impossible to Contain and a segment of The Embargo Project. She has directed the features Kayak to Klemtu and Run Woman Run, which won the Audience Choice award at imagineNATIVE 2021. She is currently writing and directing the series Little Bird.
Writers
Michael Sparaga, Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk)
Cast
Evan Adams (Tla’amin), Ta’kaiya Blaney (Tla'amin), Lorne Cardinal
Producer
Daniel Bekerman
Genres
Action/Adventure, Family
Interests
Environment, ESL, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
- Own Voice
Club Native
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 quesitons about how we all understand who we are.
With her own family as a poignant case study, Deer's film will strike a chord with anyone who's ever thought about ethnicity, culture or their place in the world.
Director
Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
Deer is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and writer who has directed documentaries such as Club Native and Mohawk Girls, which was adapted into a TV series that ran for five seasons and earned numerous CSA nominations. Her narrative feature debut, Beans, won eleven awards, including Best Picture at the CSAs. She has also directed episodes of Hudson & Rex, Rutherford Falls, Three Pines, and Outlander.
Writer
Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
Cast
Akwiratékha Martin (Mohawk), Hilda Nicholas, Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
Producers
Linda Ludwick, Christina Fon, Catherine Bainbridge
Genre
Documentary
Interest
Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)