Film festival aims to reclaim sacred spaces within national parks
- Andréa Ledding | June 22, 2017
The inaugural “Celebrating Indigenous Film” Indigenous Film Festival is being held at Prince Albert National Park (PANP) in Waskesiu as a way of reclaiming the sacred spaces of the national park systems.
“Surrounded by the beauty of longstanding traditional gathering places, we will celebrate creative Indigenous resilience,” notes the poster. Co-Founder of the Festival and Friends of the Park President, Ernie Scoles says it has been a dream of his to get youth up to PANP for a film-festival, to access nature, and to be inspired to be the next generation of film-makers.
“We’ve been working with Parks Canada to reincorporate Indigenous programming into the park, and this was one of our projects,” said Scoles. The event is being organized and curated by film-maker Marcel Petit, and will be held at Twin Pines Theatre.
The goal is to draw in not only tourists and locals, but youth from around the area reserves and further abroad, including youth from urban areas.
The festival will open with “Angry Inuk” by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril at 7 pm Friday night.
Saturday morning will have time for workshops and socialization, with films opening again at 1 pm until supper time. The afternoon films include Naskumituwin, 7 Minutes, Assini, Cree Code Talker, and Backroads by Shane Belcourt, Tasha Hubbard, Gail Maurice, Alex Lazarowich, Candy Fox, Janine Windolph, and Michelle St. John.
The director of Backroads will be in attendance, as will the director of the 3pm film, Land of Rock and Gold.
At 7 pm, Colonization Road will be the final film. The entire event is open and free to the public.
“We really wanted to celebrate these talented Indigenous film-makers in the 150th year in which Canada celebrates its anniversary,” said Marcel Petit, who has organized the films and directors to be viewed. “We thought that was a great year to found our film festival as 150 years of resilience, 150 years of survival, and 150 more years of Indigenous film and activism and connection and protection to the lands and waters.”
Petit also wants youth to be empowered to create their own films.
The Film Festival is proudly sponsored by mpet productions, Scoles Fine Art & Framings, Friends of the Park, SaskTel, PotashCorp, Eagle Feather News, and others, including the author. If you would like to sponsor youth to go up, as an act of Reconciliation, contact Ernie at Ernie Scoles Fine Arts & Framing or email andrea.ledding@gmail.com.