Film list

[abu--Film-image]
ABU 2017 80'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Arshad Khan .
Arshad always knew he was different. Soon after emigrating from Pakistan to Canada with his family, Arshad realized he was gay. With Abu, Arshad tells his own story self discovery at a cultural
[the-bastard-sings-the-sweetest-song--Film-image]
The Bastard Sings the Sweetest Song 2012 71'
    Directed by Christy Garland .
'The Bastard Sings the Sweetest Song', using direct cinema style, introduces us to the Smith family in Georgetown, Guyana, where both Muscle, and his mother Mary, each struggle to fight the family
South America Elderly people Family / Kinship Intergenerational relations
[belle-river--Film-image]
Belle River 2022 11'
    Shorts Directed by Guillaume Fournier Samuel Matteau Yannick Nolin .
It is 2019. Spring flooding in Mississippi hits record highs. In Louisiana, the residents of Pierre-Part are preparing for the worst. Barring an unexpected turn of events, local authorities will soon
[bill-reid-remembers--Film-image]
Bill Reid Remembers 2021 24'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
Bill Reid Remembers is a beautiful tribute from Alanis Obomsawin to her friend’s remarkable life and rich legacy. Despite spending his early life away from his nation’s culture, renowned Haida
[bonfires--Film-image]
Bonfires 2017 6'
    Shorts Directed by Martin Bureau .
Huge bonfires are lit by Protestants in Northern Ireland on July 12 each year, as part of the celebrations of the 1690 Battle of the Boyne. They are made from wooden pallets, tires, and garbage. To
[christmas-at-moose-factory--Film-image]
Christmas at Moose Factory 1971 13'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
This lyrical short documentary marked the directorial debut of legendary Abenaki director Alanis Obomsawin. Filmed at a residential school in northern Ontario, it is composed entirely of drawings by
[guardians-of-the-night--Film-image]
Guardians of the Night 2018 17'
    Shorts Directed by Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier Eleonora Diamanti .
A survey of the happenings in Guantánamo, Cuba during nighttime. We see neighbourhood watchmen on lonely streets, bustling crowds of revellers in illuminated squares, families as they relax at home
[honour-to-senator-murray-sinclair--Film-image]
Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair 2021 29'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
As the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Senator Murray Sinclair was a key figure in raising global awareness of the atrocities of Canada’s residential school system. With
[in-the-land-of-the-war-canoes--Film-image]
In the Land of the War Canoes 1972 47'
    Directed by Edward S. Curtis .
The film was made in 1914 by Edward Curtis. The plot concerns the efforts of a young man, Motana, son of a great chief, to obtain a bride and how he is thwarted by a wicked sorcerer. Many of the
North America Archival material / Museum displays Marriage Film / Photography / Mass media
[in-search-of-the-hamatsa-a-tale-of-headhunting--Film-image]
In Search of the Hamat’sa: A Tale of Headhunting 2004 33'
    Directed by Aaron Glass .
The Hamat’sa (or “Cannibal Dance”) is the most important—and highly represented ceremony of the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) people of British Columbia. This film traces the history of
North America Archival material / Museum displays Dance / Theatre / Performance Ritual Informant-researcher relationship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
[kanehsatake-270-years-of-resistance--Film-image]
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance 1993 119'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
In July 1990, a dispute over a proposed golf course to be built on Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) lands in Oka, Quebec, set the stage for a historic confrontation that would grab international headlines
[kokota-the-islet-of-hope--Film-image]
Kokota: The Islet of Hope 2015 29'
  Directed by Craig Norris .
Mbarouk Mussa Omar is from an East African Island called Pemba. Nearly ten years ago he visited a tiny neighbouring islet called Kokota and was shocked by what he saw. Kokota was teetering towards
[living-here--Film-image]
Living Here 2017 16'
    Shorts Directed by Sarah Baril Gaudet .
In Aupaluk, Northern Quebec, a small cluster of primary coloured buildings cluster amidst the blinding white tundra. We are introduced to the tiny town (population 200, mainly Inuit) by a thoughtful
[mother-of-many-children--Film-image]
Mother of Many Children 1977 57'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
In her first feature-length documentary Alanis Obomsawin honours the central place of women and mothers within Indigenous cultures. An album of Indigenous womanhood, the film portrays proud
[mount-currie-summer-camp--Film-image]
Mount Currie Summer Camp 1975 5'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
In a series of playful portraits, Stl’atl’imx (Líl̓wat) children and young people go about their daily duties at the community’s summer camp outside Mount Currie, B.C. Infused with a sense of
[one-day-in-the-life-of-noah-piugattuk--Film-image]
One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk 2019 113'
    Main Competition Directed by Zacharias Kunuk .
In April 1961, John Kennedy is America’s new President, the Cold War heats up in Berlin and nuclear bombers are deployed from bases in arctic Canada. In Kapuivik, north Baffin Island, Noah
[opening-night-screening-edge-of-the-knife--Film-image]
Opening Night Screening: Edge of the Knife 2018 100'
    Special Interest Directed by Gwaai Edenshaw Helen Haig-Brown .
We are delighted to open the 16th RAI Film Festival with Edge of the Knife, the recipient of this year's President's Medal. Edge of the Knife is the first feature film in the endangered Haida
[our-people-will-be-healed--Film-image]
Our People Will Be Healed 2017 97'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
The landmark 50th film for Alanis Obomsawin reveals how a Cree community in Manitoba has turned to education as part of their efforts of community healing cultural revival. The Helen Betty Osborne
[poundmakers-lodge--Film-image]
Poundmaker’s Lodge 1987 29'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
Just north of the City of Edmonton lies Poundmaker’s Lodge, an addiction and mental-health facility specialising in treatment for Indigenous people. Founded in 1973 and still operational today, the
[shepherds-in-the-cave--Film-image]
Shepherds in the Cave 2016 87'
    Material Culture Directed by Anthony Grieco .
An international team of art restorers, archaeologists and volunteers begin work on the restoration of religious frescoes inside a network of ancient caves. Faced with local bureaucratic challenges
Western Mediterranean Archaeology Herding Art / Artists / Artisans Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy
[silas--Film-image]
Silas 2017 80'
    Directed by Anjali Nayar .
Liberian activist Silas Siakor is a tireless crusader against illegal logging and corruption. Through this focus on one small country -- “Silas” warns of the power of politics, features the role
[those-who-come-will-hear--Film-image]
Those Who Come, Will Hear 2017 77'
    Directed by Simon Plouffe .
Those Who Come, Will Hear proposes a unique meeting with the speakers of several indigenous languages of Quebec – all threatened with extinction. The film starts with the discovery of these unsung
[voices-of-kula--Film-image]
Voices of Kula 2021 87'
    Werbner Award Directed by Gina Knapp .
Voices of Kula tells a story of empowerment, of local responses to cultural and economic changes, and of the strive to revitalise cultural heritage. A group of elders from Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
[waban-aki-people-from-where-the-sun-rises--Film-image]
Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises 2006 104'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
The filmmaker returns to the village where she was raised to craft a lyrical account of her own people. After decades of tirelessly recording others’ stories, she focuses this film on her own home
[walking-is-medicine--Film-image]
Walking is Medicine 2018 5'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
This is the story of the Nishiyuu walkers, six young Cree men who decided to trek 1600km from Whapmagoostui, Quebec, to Ottawa, in the spirit of their ancestors, whose traditions were to travel long
[a-womans-story--Film-image]
A Woman's Story 2015 52'
  Directed by Azra Rashid .
A look at genocide, survival, and physical and cultural continuity through the eyes of three women who have experienced three different genocides of the 20th century. Shot on location in Canada,