5 Indigenous-led feature films to support at this year’s TIFF

As Canada’s horrific past in regards to the treatment of First Nations and Indigenous peoples continues to (finally) come to light to colonizers and non-natives, celebrating stories from Indigenous creators is more salient than ever.

This year the Toronto International Film Festival is doing exactly that with a selection of features, shorts, and highlighted programming from Indigenous creators. You could start with any one of Alanis Obomsawin’s past films, which have been curated by festival heads under this year’s special event, Celebrating Alanis Obomsawin.

Or, if you’re looking for fresh fare to check out while you’re getting your TIFF on, these full-length features tell rich stories and are available to screen in-person, digitally or both.

Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner

Director: Zacharias Kunuk

Okay, so this film is actually 20 years old, but there are a couple of things that make its 2021 TIFF entry special. The first is that it is being presented in a digitally restored, 2K version. The second is that the film was originally supposed to make its North American debut at TIFF two decades ago, but the screening was postponed following the September 11 attacks.

Now, the first feature film written and directed by Inuit filmmakers and performed entirely in the Inuktitut language is back for a special screening on September 15. The story of love, revenge, betrayal and murder is based on a classic Inuit folktale, with a script adapted from the recordings of eight Elders.

Scarborough

Directors: Shasha Nakhai, Rich Williamson

Based on the critically acclaimed, award-winning novel by Canadian Catherine Hernandez (a queer woman of Filipino, Spanish, Chinese and Indian heritage) Scarborough is the unflinching portrayal of low-income families and the struggles to endure within a system that is set up for them to fail.

Hernandez herself wrote the screenplay, which follows three children specifically: Bing, a Filipino boy with an abusive and mentally ill father; Sylvie, an Indigenous girl whose family struggles to find permanent housing; and Laura, a young child with neglectful parents. It all takes place over the span of a school year, delivering big feels in a quickly changing neighbourhood where love and compassion emerge from the darkest of places.

Ste. Anne

Director: Rhayne Vermette

Manitoban filmmaker Vermette pulls triple duty as director, producer and star in her debut French feature, which was shot in Treaty 1 territory (including Winnipeg and the title town) over the course of 14 months. The film features stunning visuals and an eerie vibe, which means it will probably sit with you well after the closing credits.

The story of a mother returning home to her daughter after an unexplained absence of several years examines the ideas of belonging and reclamation, and it features some of Vermette’s own family members as well as members of the Métis community.

Wildhood

Director: Bretten Hannam

This coming-of-age story, which two-spirit L’nu filmmaker Hannam also wrote, follows a young teen who flees an abusive father and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Link (Phillip Lewitski) the teen in question, is a two-spirit Mi’kmaw teen who learns that his supposedly dead mother may be alive after all.

So he runs away with his half-brother, Travis (Avery Winters-Anthony), and meets a kindred spirit in a drifter named Pasmay (Joshua Odjick), who is willing to help. But with deep baggage and an understandable inability to trust, Link may be his own biggest obstacle when it comes to completing his mission.

Wochiigii lo: End of the Peace

Director: Heather Hatch

This debut feature documentary from the Vancouver-born filmmaker tackles the environmental, social, legal and human perils of B.C.’s controversial Site C hydro dam project, which cuts across the province and into an area largely populated by Indigenous peoples.

Among them are West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations, two of the smallest bands covered under a treaty with the government that is intended to last “as long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the rivers flow.” With plans on the dam moving ahead, however, that treaty is clearly in violation.

Hatch spent five years covering the protests and harrowing ramifications of the money-losing project, and she now presents the issues with this in-depth film. It’s being described as “one of the most compelling and touching Canadian films this year,” and deemed essential viewing for those who believe politicians always have our best interests at heart.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 9 to 18. 

BEFORE YOU GO: Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya advise Canadians to 'pee before' seeing Dune at this year's TIFF

[video_embed id='2276962']BEFORE YOU GO: Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya advise Canadians to 'pee before' seeing Dune at this year's TIFF [/video_embed]