Still from “Singing Back the Buffalo,” directed by Tasha Hubbard (photo courtesy of Native Cinema Showcase, National Museum of the American Indian)
Presented by Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the Native Cinema Showcase takes place online Nov. 22 to Nov. 29.
The annual celebration of the finest in Indigenous film features 32 films from 25 nations in eight countries including the US, Ecuador, Norway, Peru, New Zealand, Mexico, Finland and Canada. With the exception of one, the films will all be available to stream on demand in Canada, starting Nov. 22 on the 2024 Native Cinema Showcase site.
Canadian short films include:
NIGIQTUQ ᓂᒋᖅᑐᖅ (The South Wind)
Canada, 2023, 16 min., directed by Lindsay McIntyre (Inuk)
Inuktitut and English with English subtitles
“In 1938, having left her Nunavut home with her mother Kumaa’naaq, young Marguerite must negotiate the unspoken pressures of a new life in the South. When an extraordinary letter arrives from home, Marguerite discovers what is really expected of her,” according to showcase organizers.
Radio Bingo
Canada/USA, 2023, eight min., directed by Shelby Mitchell-Adams (Mohawk)
Mohawk and English with English subtitles
“To help revitalize the Mohawk language, a local reservation radio station incorporates the Mohawk language into a game of Radio Bingo,” according to the news release.
Tiny
Canada, 2023, 17 min., directed by Ritchie Hemphill (Gwa'sala'Nakwaxda'xw) and Ryan Haché
“Nakwaxda'xw elder Colleen Hemphill shares the story of her life as a young carefree girl growing up on a float house.”
CHUMS: Spirit of the Land
Canada, 2023, 11 min., directed by Dennis Jackson (Cree)
“A ragtag group of furry friends on Turtle Island discover their relationship with the animals and the environment that surrounds them on Mother Earth.”
Ni Wapiten
Canada, 2023, three min., directed by Noémie Echaquan (Atikamekw) and Julie Ottawa (Atikamekw)
French with English subtitles
“This poetic film follows a child’s journey through the woods to his community’s garbage dump, where he reuses the waste to build a bear, a symbol of nature.”
Freddy
Canada, 2023, three min., directed by Brad Mestenapéo (Innu)
“This film follows Freddy’s exciting adventure of magic and friendship.”
Tales from the Rez: Taxi Me to Hell
Canada, 2023, 13 min., directed by Trevor Solway (Blackfoot) and Colin Ahnahktsipiitaa Van Loon (Blackfoot/Dutch)
“Coming from a party, two cousins pass a beautiful hitchhiker who catches their attention. They offer her a ride and soon learn that she has dark intentions.”
Canadian features include:
I’m Just Here for the Riot
Canada, 2023, 78 min., directed by Asia Youngman (Cree/Métis) and Kathleen Jayme
“A game-seven Stanley Cup finals loss to the Boston Bruins sparked a massive riot in downtown Vancouver. Mayhem ensued, with police cars burned and overturned, windows shattered, stores looted, and waves of young people being caught in the chaos,” according to the showcase organizers.
Singing Back the Buffalo
Canada, 2024, 99 min., directed by Tasha Hubbard (Plains Cree)
“Indigenous visionaries, scientists, and communities are rematriating buffalo to the heart of the North American plains they once defined, signaling a turning point for Indigenous nations, the ecosystem, and collective survival.”
Source: National Museum of the American Indian
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