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Aviliaq (Entwined)

Director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk)
Year 2014
Run Time 15min
Genre Drama, Romance
In the 1950s, two Inuit women attempt to protect their relationship when pressure from their community forces them to marry men.

Director

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk)

Arnaquq-Baril is an award-winning Inuk filmmaker whose work has screened on CBC, APTN, and at festivals like Hot Docs, imagineNATIVE, TIFF and many others. Her credits include the award-winning doc Angry Inuk, Aviliaq, Inuit High Kick, Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos and The Embargo Project. She also produced the award winning film The Grizzlies, the 2022 film Slash/Back, and co-founded the Inuit production company Red Marrow Media. She is currently producing the documentary Twice Colonized.

Writer

Dallas Varcoe

Cast

Miali Buscemi, Malaya Qaunirq Chapman

Producers

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk), Miriam Levin-Gold, Anne-Marie Stuart

Genres

Drama, Romance

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

Inuktitut

Language Version

EN Subtitles

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Assini

Director Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis)
Year 2015
Run Time 13min
Genre Drama
Seven-year-old Assini and her friends often play Cowboys and Indians. But when Assini discovers that she herself is an "Indian," the game takes a new turn.

Director

Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis)

Maurice is a fluent Cree/Michif speaking actor and an award-winning filmmaker who founded her own company, Assini Productions, to tell stories that highlight strong Indigenous female leads. She has directed several shorts, including Smudge and Assini, as well as the feature film ROSIE, which she also wrote and produced. Her acting credits include Falls Around Her, Night Raiders, Bones of Crows, Aberdeen, and many other films and television series. 

Writer

Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis)

Producers

Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis), Melanie Bray

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Language Version

None

Canadian Distributor

Vtape

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Indian

Director Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux)
Year 2008
Run Time 2min
Genre Comedy
In this amusing and powerful short, the etymology of the world "Indian" is deconstructed at the Canadian National Spelling Bee.

Director

Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux)

Writer

Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux)

Cast

Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux)

Producer

Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux)

Genre

Comedy

Interests

BIPOC Stories, History, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Winnipeg Film Group

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Fighting Chance

Director Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)
Year 2011
Run Time 9min
Genre Animation, Family
An Indigenous youth with a family history of residential schooling, 13-year-old Joey is arrested and put into a group home where he gets a chance to turn his life around.

Director

Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)

Writers

Karl Giroux, Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree), Lewaa Nasserdeen

Cast

Tanner Bornowsky, Karl Giroux

Producer

Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)

Genres

Animation, Family

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

BearPaw Legal Education

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Empty

Director Jackie Traverse (Anishinaabe)
Year 2009
Run Time 5min
Genre Animation, Documentary, Drama
Set to a song by Little Hawk, this animated story is a daughter's starkly honest tribute to her estranged mother.

Director

Jackie Traverse (Anishinaabe)

Writer

Jackie Traverse (Anishinaabe)

Producer

Joe MacDonald

Genres

Animation, Documentary, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Winnipeg Film Group

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Birchbark

Director John Hupfield (Anishinaabe)
Year 2008
Run Time 4min
Genre Animation, Family
Symbols of traditional knowledge come alive and find themselves inside the pages of a book.

Director

John Hupfield (Anishinaabe)

Writer

John Hupfield (Anishinaabe)

Genres

Animation, Family

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Vtape

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Amaqqut Nunaat: The Country of Wolves

Director Neil Christopher
Year 2011
Run Time 12min
Genre Animation, Drama
It begins as a hunting trip out on the ice for two Inuit hunters. However, soon they find themselves lost and the only safe haven to be found for miles is a mysterious village filled with the sounds of drum dancing and revelry. Unfortunately, this village turns out to be even more dangerous than the frigid ocean as the men realize that in this strange land, men can change into wolves.
 

Director

Neil Christopher

Writer

Neil Christopher

Producers

Neil Christopher, Louise Flaherty (Inuk)

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

Inuktitut

Language Versions

EN Dub, EN Subtitles

Canadian Distributors

Inhabit Media, Taqqut Productions

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Dancers of the Grass

Director Melanie Jackson (Métis/Saulteaux)
Year 2009
Run Time 2min
Genre Animation, Family
Spectacular stop-motion animation breathes life into a traditional dance.

Director

Melanie Jackson (Métis/Saulteaux)

Writer

Melanie Jackson (Métis/Saulteaux)

Producers

Dennis Jackson (Cree), Melanie Jackson (Métis/Saulteaux), Anand Ramayya

Genres

Animation, Family

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

National Film Board (NFB)

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Aboriginality

Directors Dominique Keller, Tom Jackson (Cree)
Year 2007
Run Time 5min
Genre Action/Adventure, Animation
A young boy is transported through his television set to the scene of a traditional Indigenous hoop dance, encountering his family's cultural heritage in a new way. Includes spoken word rap in English and in Cree.

Directors

Dominique Keller, Tom Jackson (Cree)

Writer

Dominique Keller

Cast

Dallas Arcand (Kipohtakaw)

Producers

Dominique Keller, Bonnie Thompson

Genres

Action/Adventure, Animation

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

No Dialogue

Canadian Distributor

National Film Board (NFB)

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Forgotten Warriors

Director Loretta Todd (Cree/Métis)
Year 1997
Run Time 51min
Genre Documentary

Thousands of Indigenous people enlisted and fought for Canada in World War II, even though they could not be conscripted. While they fought for the freedom of others, they were being denied their rights back home. 

As a reward for service, veterans were allowed to buy land at a cheap price. However, many Indigenous soldiers were never told about the land entitlement, and some returned home to find the government had seized parts of their reserve lands to compensate non-Indigenous veterans.

Narrator Tootoosis gives a historical overview, while Indigenous veterans share their poignant and unforgettable war memories, and the ways in which they have healed.

Director

Loretta Todd (Cree/Métis)

Writer

Loretta Todd (Cree/Métis)

Cast

Nathaniel Arcand (Cree), Gordon Tootoosis (Cree), Michèle Audette (Innu)

Producers

Michael Doxtater (Haudenosaunee), Carol Geddess (Tlingit), Jerry Krepakevich

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Classics, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Language Versions

EN CC, FR Subtitles

Canadian Distributor

National Film Board (NFB)

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Awaskinawason (Children of Earth)

Director Antony Dubé (Atikamekw)
Year 2015
Run Time 3min
Genre Animation, Drama
Awaskinawason is made up of the Atikamekw words awacic (child), aski (earth) and takonawason (having the responsibility for). A plea to respect the great circle of life.

Director

Antony Dubé (Atikamekw)

Writer

Antony Dubé (Atikamekw)

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Environment, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

Other Language

Language Versions

EN Subtitles, FR Subtitles

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A World of Our Own

Director Morningstar Derosier (Anishinaabe)
Year 2018
Run Time 9min
Genre Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
In a twist on futuristic sci-fi, a young woman becomes infatuated with a woman who removes a ubiquitous computer implant that has replaced most forms of communication.

Director

Morningstar Derosier (Anishinaabe)

Writer

Morningstar Derosier (Anishinaabe)

Cast

Curtis Carriere, Rebekah Manella, Kaitlyn Stewart

Producer

Morningstar Derosier (Anishinaabe)

Genres

Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes)

Director Amanda Strong (Michif)
Year 2018
Run Time 19min
Genre Animation, Drama
In this dream-like animation, a young Anishanaabe artist comes to a suburban neighbourhood to reclaim her ancestral tradition of sap harvesting.

Director

Amanda Strong (Michif)

Writers

Amanda Strong (Michif), Bracken Hanuse Corlett (Wuikinuxv-Klahoose), Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Producer

Amanda Strong (Michif)

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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Jordan Gordon’s Guide to Kuujjuaq

Director Jordan Gordon (Inuk)
Year 2018
Run Time 4min
Genre Comedy, Documentary
Jordan Gordon is thrilled to show you around his hometown, taking you through the highlights with a wonderful mix of humour and charm.

Director

Jordan Gordon (Inuk)

Writer

Jordan Gordon (Inuk)

Genres

Comedy, Documentary

Interests

Biography, BIPOC Stories, Environment, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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7 Minutes

Director Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
Year 2016
Run Time 7min
Genre Documentary
Marie’s walk home from university takes seven minutes, but when she is followed home by a stranger in a van, those seven minutes feel like an eternity.

Content Note: Depictions of trauma

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 Familynîpawistamâsowin: 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.

Writer

Tasha Hubbard (Cree)

Cast

Darian Lonechild (Cree/Saulteaux)

Producer

Marilyn Poitras (Métis)

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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Cry Rock

Director Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk)
Year 2016
Run Time 29min
Genre Documentary
Fewer than 15 Nuxalk-language speakers and storytellers are left in Bella Coola, B.C. This thoughtful film explores what is lost from a culture when a language threatens to go extinct.

Director

Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk)

Writer

Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk)

Producer

Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk)

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Languages

English, Other Language

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De Face Ou De Profil (Face or Profile)

Director Sharon Fontaine (Innu)
Year 2014
Run Time 5min
Genre Documentary
Told from 16-year-old Sharon’s point of view, this charming short uses her wit and humour to reflect on society’s use of online avatars.

Director

Sharon Fontaine (Innu)

Writer

Sharon Fontaine (Innu)

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

French

Language Version

EN Subtitles

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Hard Learning

Director Daniel Fortin
Year 2017
Run Time 7min
Genre Documentary
With no high school in her northern community of Wapekeka, 14-yearold Miranda must move 500 km away for Grade 9. This touching doc reveals the challenges faced by many northern Indigenous youth.

Director

Daniel Fortin

Writers

Paul Neary, Daniel Fortin

Producer

Daniel Fortin

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair

Director Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Year 2021
Run Time 29min
Genre Documentary

As the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Senator Murray Sinclair is a key figure in raising global awareness of the atrocities of Canada’s residential school system. Master documentarian Alanis Obomsawin blends Senator Sinclair’s thought-provoking acceptance speech from his WFM-Canada World Peace Award with powerful testimonies of survivors of the residential school system.

With determination, wisdom and kindness, Senator Sinclair provides a clear and nuanced explanation of the residential school system and its profound ongoing impacts, and asserts that actual reconciliation requires accepting these difficult truths about Canada’s past and present. The film reminds us to honour the lives and legacies of those affected, lays out avenues for real change, and ultimately leaves us with a profound feeling of hope for a better future.

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)

Cast

Murray Sinclair

Producer

Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

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Giant Bear

Directors Daniel Gies, Neil Christopher
Year 2019
Run Time 12min
Genre Animation, Drama
A stunning animation of an Inuit legend in which a hunter battles his greatest foe, a giant bear. Content Note: Graphic animated violence.

Directors

Daniel Gies, Neil Christopher

Writers

Neil Christopher, Jose Angutinngurniq (Inuk)

Genres

Animation, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

Inuktitut

Language Version

EN Dub