It’s that time again! Hard to believe another year has gone by. But here we are, about to gear up for another amazing imagineNATIVE Film Festival. We’ve got a lot of great things cooked up this year, but I’m here to give you a sneak peak into my personal favourites. Like Jason, I find it hard to pick my faves, but today I’m going to tell you about the films that found a special place in my heart…..
The Grandmother’s House Away From Home
This is one of those films that will stay in your mind long after you’ve left the theatre. I can’t stop thinking about this provocative and smartly astonishing film! Psst….it just might be my favourite film at the Festival (if I were to have a favourite).
Grandmother’s House follows one man as he sells his traditional family dwelling to an urban museum where it’s reconstructed for tourists keen to learn about an ‘exotic’ culture. This film made me think about museum representation and how history and culture is re-interpreted in our public spaces. We’ve all seen the famous loin-clothed Indian mannequin that adorns most Canadian history museums…. well this film takes it to another level! My skin literally broke out in goose bumps in a scene where museum staff dress up a mannequin doll in traditional clothing as our protagonist remarks, “this is like dressing our dead for burial”.
The Grandmother's House Away from Home
Unsettling Sex
Looking for something smart and sexy to satisfy your film-lover craving? Come check out Unsettling Sex – a shorts program that includes some of the more provocative films revealed at imagineNATIVE throughout the years. This program includes a special talk given by curator, John G. Hampton. It’s sure to leave you tingling in a good sort of way!
Ariel Smith’s Target Girls (2012), part of the Unsettling Sex Program
Turning Points – Shorts Program I
This program is stacked with delicious talent from some very exciting filmmakers. Come and check out the latest films from Danis Goulet, Adam Garnet-Jones and Kelvin Redvers. The storytelling is superb, fresh, and evocative. I was especially moved by the powerful testimonial film, Where We Were Not.
Where We Were Not, Part I: Feeling Reserved, Alexus' Story
Young Lakota
It’s so great to see a film that celebrates politically engaged young women! Young Lakota takes us to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota where teen leader Sunny Clifford petitions for a women’s health clinic – a hot button topic in a state where abortion laws are being challenged. I especially recommend this film to any young woman who believes she has the power to change the world and aspires to do so!
Young Lakota
Toomelah
My programmer picks would not be complete without mentioning one of my favourite filmmakers, Ivan Sen. Ivan has graced imagineNATIVE with his previous films Beneath the Clouds, Dreamland, and last year’sShifting Shelter 4. He is a masterful storyteller with a breathtaking eye. Toomelah is just another example of what an exquisite craftsman Sen is, as he gently weaves a tale of a little boy who aspires to be a gangster.
This is one you have to see on the big screen – your eyes will thank you!
Toomelah
These are my programmer picks! I hope you enjoy. And, please, if you see me around the Festival, let me know what you think of the films you’ve seen. I love talking about FILM! And I especially love hearing, debating, percolating and digesting opinions. So don’t be shy! Have a wonderful Festival!!!!
