The National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) premieres two, one-hour short documentary specials on APTN, featuring films made through the 2019 and 2020 editions of NSI IndigiDocs. Four of the featured films originate from B.C. storytellers.
NSI IndigiDocs is a part-time, online program offering customized training for Indigenous filmmakers to transform a film idea into a short documentary. The four films from 2019 and 2020 will air as part of a showcase on January 16 and 23, respectively. Check your local listings for times.
NSI IndigiDocs has helped develop the skills of over 60 Indigenous storytellers over eight editions. Documentaries created through the program have screened at prestigious festivals like imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Wairoa Māori Film Festival (New Zealand), LA Skins Fest (Los Angeles) and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Many of these films have received accolades including As The Smoke Rises – produced by Jennifer Ille, directed by Sharon Heigl (BC) which won Best Documentary Short Film, Screen Power Film Festival.
From 2018-20: Sunday January 16, 5:30 p.m. CT (please check your local listings)
êmîcêtôsêt-Many Bloodlines – produced by Alex Bailey, directed by Theola Ross (ON)
- A Cree filmmaker and her white partner document their pregnancy and journey to parenthood. From the search for an Indigenous donor and midwife to their concerns about raising a child as an interracial queer couple, the joy of having a child together gives them the courage to overcome any obstacle.
Don’t Panic We Still Have Bannock – produced by Troy Watts, directed by Chantell Shaw (BC)
- An exploration of the relationship Indigenous people have with the popular food, bannock – and a journey back in time to discover recipes from before contact with Europeans.
My Mother, My Rock – produced and directed by Kelly Roulette (BC)
- A daughter’s final promise to her dying mother comes true but the outcome is surprising and otherworldly.
As The Smoke Rises – produced by Jennifer Ille, directed by Sharon Heigl (BC)
- Elder Viviane Rose Sandy from Williams Lake Band tells her personal story of how she was taken from her culture after being sent to residential school and how her life took a turn after being reunited with her traditions.
From 2019-21: Sunday January 23, 5:30 p.m. CT (please check your local listings)
Gift to Give – directed by Erica Daniels (MB)
- The story of the relationship between a Two-Spirit daughter and her father, and the nuances in their relationship of acceptance and deep love. The story is told through the lens of the daughter, Vanessa, who has decided to give her kidney to her ailing father, Kenneth, in the hopes of saving his life.
ƛaʔuukʷiatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) Dugout Canoe – directed by Steven Davies (BC)
- After working as a clearcut logger in the Clayoquot Sound, master carver and land defender Joe Martin reconciles his past by revitalizing the ancestral knowledge and artistic practice of the traditional Tla-o-qui-aht dugout canoe.
Tails on Ice – directed by Miranda Currie (NT)
- The personal story of Miranda’s sled dog, Ellesmere, as she sets off on her first training expedition and rite of passage. Ellesmere must learn survival skills from the matriarchs that came before her in order to not only earn, but to also defend her position in the dog pack.
Indigenous Dads – directed by Peter Brass (SK)
- Four Indigenous dads candidly discuss their fears and hopes in raising their kids in today’s world.
Discover more here.
