Along the Rise – short films curated by Darlene Naponse

A selection of short films guest curated by Darlene Naponse, an Anishinaabe Kwe from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, Northern Ontario.

Darlene is a writer, film director and video artist, and is currently a programmer at imagineNATIVE Film Festival.

Tekahionwake (Double Wampum)

Directed by Shelley Niro

E. Pauline Johnson was born to a mother who was British and a father was a Mohawk Chief. As a poet and an activist for human rights for Indigenous People in North America, Pauline was a trailblazer at the beginning of the 20th century. She travelled the world, mostly to England and the USA, and used her talents to broadcast the harsh treatment of Native People to the world.

Awakenings – We Were Always Here – A Portrait in Red

Directed by Alexandra Lazarowich

Reflecting on the history and the geography of Todmorden Mills, this experimental short film by Alex Lazarowich explores the relocation of the Don Valley River and the impact of land extraction on the Indigenous peoples of Tkaronto and Kanata.

Nuxluk Radio

Directed by Slts'lani Banchi Hanuse

A day in the life of Nuxalk Radio 91.1 FM (Bella Coola). A radio station built to help keep the Nuxalkmc language alive and broadcast the laws of the lands and waters.

Emicetoset: Many Bloodlines

Directed by Theola Ross

A queer, bi-racial couple on the path towards having a child through the fertility treatment process explores their differences in race, culture, class, gender roles and dynamics.

Chocolate

Directed by Charlene Moore

A short film about shedding away the colonial patterns to find truth within the ways of life of the natural self.

Audrey's Story

Directed by Michelle Derosier

The story of a young Indigenous woman who was found dead in northwest Ontario in 1972. At the time, the Ontario Provincial police deemed her death an accident, stating that she had fallen out of a car. For forty-seven years, Audrey's family wondered about the circumstances of her death and about the rigour of the investigation. 

Greed Story

Directed by Tom Mcleod & Darcie Bernhardt

An old Inuvialuit story about a man who, in his avarice, corrupts his own soul to the point where he is driven to cannibalism. The story tells of the misfortune that lays with over harvesting. As all traditional harvesters know: if you are not responsible, you can destroy your own ecosystem and be left with nothing.