12 - Attend an Indigenous Film Festival
This series of blog posts is inspired by the list 21 Things You Can Do to Change the World created by Bob Joseph in his book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act. Focusing on actionable steps, these blog posts will take each step and provide links, contacts, and suggestion lists.
Scroll through all of our 21 Things posts here.
The next action we are highlighting is Attend an Indigenous Film Festival.
When looking at our collective heritage, Indigenous stories were often told from a colonial perspective. In most Indigenous, Métis and Inuit cultures the act of storytelling is crucial and healing. Filmmaking has become a vital way of reclaiming and correcting the harmful narratives imposed on First Nation communities and there are many wonderful films that you can seek out both in festivals and on streaming services.
Here are some Indigenous film lists to get you started: Six Free Film Picks from CBC Essential Indigenous Films
And as for film festivals here are some to check out: Note: some festivals have been postponed since the beginning of Covid and have not resumed yet.
UBC has a very comprehensive list of film festivals, both local and elsewhere in Canada
LOCAL: Skoden Indigenous Film Festival, April 1-2, 2022 – SFU student-led film festival
REEL Youth is not specifically Indigenous, but showcases a lot of Indigenous content made by youth under 19. A lot of it is available to view on their website
The Vancouver Queer Film Festival is also not specifically Indigenous, but highlights queer Indigenous stories
These blog posts are designed to be a starting point to help people toward the path of reconciliation and allyship. We encourage everyone to do their own reading and research. Want to learn more? Check out the Indigenous Relations Academy, which has books, training, and resources. You can also purchase 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act here.