Indigenous film festival features films on Attawapiskat, Nibinamik youth

A documentary on an Attawapiskat youth’s push for equitable funding for education in First Nations communities will open the fifth annual Biindigaate Indigenous Film Festival Sept. 27-29 in Thunder Bay.
The film, called Hi-Ho Mistahey!, chronicles the youth-driven initiative called Shannen’s Dream to drive the federal government to make First Nations educational standards on par with the rest of Canada.
“It’s a film about the injustices and unfairness of federal government policies,” said festival director Lenny Carpenter. “Yet it showcases the drive and voice of First Nations youth.”
Directed by the prolific Aboriginal director Alanis Obomsawin, Hi-Ho Mistahey! recently premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival.
Biindigaate will also feature films from not only in northern Ontario, but across Canada and the world.
The festival closes with Millets Back Home, a documentary from Taiwan about the lost tradition of harvesting a grain in a remote village still being practiced by the filmmaker’s grandmother.
“It’s a warm heartfelt film, and I think it will resonate with those in the region who harvest manomin (wild rice),” Carpenter said. “It also deals with a teen who must leave the village so he can go to high school. So a lot of First Nations people in the city, or even across Canada, can relate to it.”
Midway through the festival, Biindigaate will feature Ordinary Woman, Extraordinary Dreams, a documentary about Maggie Sofea, a Nibinamik youth who was paralyzed after a swimming accident. In the film, Sofea visits her community and returns to the site of her accident for the first time.
Remembering Inninimowin is another film related to Attawapiskat. Directed by Jules Koostachin, the documentary depicts the filmmaker’s attempt to re-learn Cree, her first language.
Koostachin attends Cree classes in Toronto before venturing north to her grandmother’s community to discuss the state of the language.
“We’re very excited to show what Aboriginal and indigenous filmmakers are doing out there,” Carpenter said. “There’s a lot of good work being produced, and in different formats. But it’s the stories that matter. It’s our stories.”
This year’s Biindigaate Indigenous Film Festival features more than 30 indigenous-made films, an art show featuring the contemporary and traditional art, and a music concert on Sept. 28.