Mar 29, 2024
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TIFF Bell Lightbox celebrates First Peoples cinema

The largest, most comprehensive aboriginal film series ever compiled will take over the TIFF Bell Lightbox this summer.

Starting June 21, the Toronto International Film Festival will host the First Peoples Cinema: 1,500 Nations, One Tradition film series, as well as Home on Native Land, a free gallery exhibition with work from renowned native artists.

The film series includes 27 features and more than 30 shorts from native filmmakers around the world, with a particular focus on Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia. The series aims to trace the history, development and evolution of First Peoples in cinema – from Nanook of the North to Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner.

“It’s a great opportunity to have a greater understanding of that history – what it’s meant to us and what it means to us going forward,” says Jesse Wente, head of film programs at TIFF. “I think we are in a golden age of First Peoples cinema around the world, and I think it’s a chance to celebrate that. The value of this is to introduce people to a new way of thinking about cinema and [to] a new cinema in and of itself.”

Wente, who is Ojibwe, will curate the film series and co-curate the art exhibition with Steven Loft. Largely inspired by his own experiences growing up in Toronto and feeling disconnected from his history, Wente hopes the series will engage those with not even a passing familiarity with native artists.

“Cinema was often an entry point, and not always a great one, for me to understand that history,” he says. “A film series like this repositions a lot of that thinking even for our own people and gives us a broader understanding of the power of cinema and how First Peoples throughout the world have engaged with it basically throughout its entire history.”

While the films come from different countries, there are similar connecting themes, ranging from a sense of shared history to the loss of identity as a result of colonialization. Many of the works also offer commentary on the long, complex history of the onscreen representation of First Peoples by addressing – and dispelling – stereotyped portrayals. And perhaps most importantly, says Wente, the program is driven by a sense of will and perseverance.

“There’s a unity of spirit and the idea that, despite the shared troubled history, there’s survival,” he adds. “This really is a celebration of what First Peoples artists have done around the world.”

Nothing of this size or scope has ever been done for First Peoples cinema, and it took three years for Wente to travel to various countries to acquire the archived films, which include documentaries, comedies and dramas. Some films – like those from Australia and New Zealand – have rarely, if ever, been screened in Canada.

“It’s a wonderful thing for everyone to experience every type of culture,” says Canadian actor Graham Greene, who is best known for his role in Dances with Wolves, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

Greene will be a special guest of the film series and will participate in the event In Conversation with Graham Greene on June 25. Other confirmed guests include Australian director Warwick Thornton, who has works in both the film series and the art exhibit, and U.S. director Chris Eyre.

The TIFF program will open on National Aboriginal Day, where it will kick off with the premiere of throat-singer Tanya Tagaq’s new composition to accompany Robert Flaherty’s famous 1922 documentary Nanook of the North, perhaps the most well-known cinematic portrayal of First Peoples.

Meanwhile, the free art gallery includes eight pieces with video components. The Blanket by Rebecca Belmore shows performer Ming Hon struggling against a Hudson’s Bay blanket, a physical representation of colonialization, while Two Kindred Spirits by Kent Monkman is a large-scale diorama depicting the vaguely homoerotic love story of two famous “buddy” relationships – Tonto and the Lone Ranger and Winnetou and Old Shatterhand.

So far, the national and international response to the program has been overwhelming, Wente says. There have already been talks to take the show on the road, and the Berlin Film Festival recently announced it will also include an indigenous show next year.

But, Wente says, it’s fitting that the first indigenous show of this magnitude will take place on Canadian soil.

“For Canada we’re a First Peoples country – this is one of the great lands of indigenous history,” he adds. “This will make people understand the world through cinema and help them understand that it’s not just isolated here in Canada. There are challenges all around the world and there’s a unity among First Peoples in terms of their history and legacy.

“That’s really important to understand, especially as we move forward as a country and as a city that wants to understand itself a little bit better.”

Source: The National Post

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Front Page, Industry News

TIFF Bell Lightbox celebrates First Peoples cinema

The largest, most comprehensive aboriginal film series ever compiled will take over the TIFF Bell Lightbox this summer.

Starting June 21, the Toronto International Film Festival will host the First Peoples Cinema: 1,500 Nations, One Tradition film series, as well as Home on Native Land, a free gallery exhibition with work from renowned native artists.

The film series includes 27 features and more than 30 shorts from native filmmakers around the world, with a particular focus on Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia. The series aims to trace the history, development and evolution of First Peoples in cinema – from Nanook of the North to Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner.

“It’s a great opportunity to have a greater understanding of that history – what it’s meant to us and what it means to us going forward,” says Jesse Wente, head of film programs at TIFF. “I think we are in a golden age of First Peoples cinema around the world, and I think it’s a chance to celebrate that. The value of this is to introduce people to a new way of thinking about cinema and [to] a new cinema in and of itself.”

Wente, who is Ojibwe, will curate the film series and co-curate the art exhibition with Steven Loft. Largely inspired by his own experiences growing up in Toronto and feeling disconnected from his history, Wente hopes the series will engage those with not even a passing familiarity with native artists.

“Cinema was often an entry point, and not always a great one, for me to understand that history,” he says. “A film series like this repositions a lot of that thinking even for our own people and gives us a broader understanding of the power of cinema and how First Peoples throughout the world have engaged with it basically throughout its entire history.”

While the films come from different countries, there are similar connecting themes, ranging from a sense of shared history to the loss of identity as a result of colonialization. Many of the works also offer commentary on the long, complex history of the onscreen representation of First Peoples by addressing – and dispelling – stereotyped portrayals. And perhaps most importantly, says Wente, the program is driven by a sense of will and perseverance.

“There’s a unity of spirit and the idea that, despite the shared troubled history, there’s survival,” he adds. “This really is a celebration of what First Peoples artists have done around the world.”

Nothing of this size or scope has ever been done for First Peoples cinema, and it took three years for Wente to travel to various countries to acquire the archived films, which include documentaries, comedies and dramas. Some films – like those from Australia and New Zealand – have rarely, if ever, been screened in Canada.

“It’s a wonderful thing for everyone to experience every type of culture,” says Canadian actor Graham Greene, who is best known for his role in Dances with Wolves, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

Greene will be a special guest of the film series and will participate in the event In Conversation with Graham Greene on June 25. Other confirmed guests include Australian director Warwick Thornton, who has works in both the film series and the art exhibit, and U.S. director Chris Eyre.

The TIFF program will open on National Aboriginal Day, where it will kick off with the premiere of throat-singer Tanya Tagaq’s new composition to accompany Robert Flaherty’s famous 1922 documentary Nanook of the North, perhaps the most well-known cinematic portrayal of First Peoples.

Meanwhile, the free art gallery includes eight pieces with video components. The Blanket by Rebecca Belmore shows performer Ming Hon struggling against a Hudson’s Bay blanket, a physical representation of colonialization, while Two Kindred Spirits by Kent Monkman is a large-scale diorama depicting the vaguely homoerotic love story of two famous “buddy” relationships – Tonto and the Lone Ranger and Winnetou and Old Shatterhand.

So far, the national and international response to the program has been overwhelming, Wente says. There have already been talks to take the show on the road, and the Berlin Film Festival recently announced it will also include an indigenous show next year.

But, Wente says, it’s fitting that the first indigenous show of this magnitude will take place on Canadian soil.

“For Canada we’re a First Peoples country – this is one of the great lands of indigenous history,” he adds. “This will make people understand the world through cinema and help them understand that it’s not just isolated here in Canada. There are challenges all around the world and there’s a unity among First Peoples in terms of their history and legacy.

“That’s really important to understand, especially as we move forward as a country and as a city that wants to understand itself a little bit better.”

Source: The National Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Front Page, Industry News

TIFF Bell Lightbox celebrates First Peoples cinema

The largest, most comprehensive aboriginal film series ever compiled will take over the TIFF Bell Lightbox this summer.

Starting June 21, the Toronto International Film Festival will host the First Peoples Cinema: 1,500 Nations, One Tradition film series, as well as Home on Native Land, a free gallery exhibition with work from renowned native artists.

The film series includes 27 features and more than 30 shorts from native filmmakers around the world, with a particular focus on Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia. The series aims to trace the history, development and evolution of First Peoples in cinema – from Nanook of the North to Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner.

“It’s a great opportunity to have a greater understanding of that history – what it’s meant to us and what it means to us going forward,” says Jesse Wente, head of film programs at TIFF. “I think we are in a golden age of First Peoples cinema around the world, and I think it’s a chance to celebrate that. The value of this is to introduce people to a new way of thinking about cinema and [to] a new cinema in and of itself.”

Wente, who is Ojibwe, will curate the film series and co-curate the art exhibition with Steven Loft. Largely inspired by his own experiences growing up in Toronto and feeling disconnected from his history, Wente hopes the series will engage those with not even a passing familiarity with native artists.

“Cinema was often an entry point, and not always a great one, for me to understand that history,” he says. “A film series like this repositions a lot of that thinking even for our own people and gives us a broader understanding of the power of cinema and how First Peoples throughout the world have engaged with it basically throughout its entire history.”

While the films come from different countries, there are similar connecting themes, ranging from a sense of shared history to the loss of identity as a result of colonialization. Many of the works also offer commentary on the long, complex history of the onscreen representation of First Peoples by addressing – and dispelling – stereotyped portrayals. And perhaps most importantly, says Wente, the program is driven by a sense of will and perseverance.

“There’s a unity of spirit and the idea that, despite the shared troubled history, there’s survival,” he adds. “This really is a celebration of what First Peoples artists have done around the world.”

Nothing of this size or scope has ever been done for First Peoples cinema, and it took three years for Wente to travel to various countries to acquire the archived films, which include documentaries, comedies and dramas. Some films – like those from Australia and New Zealand – have rarely, if ever, been screened in Canada.

“It’s a wonderful thing for everyone to experience every type of culture,” says Canadian actor Graham Greene, who is best known for his role in Dances with Wolves, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

Greene will be a special guest of the film series and will participate in the event In Conversation with Graham Greene on June 25. Other confirmed guests include Australian director Warwick Thornton, who has works in both the film series and the art exhibit, and U.S. director Chris Eyre.

The TIFF program will open on National Aboriginal Day, where it will kick off with the premiere of throat-singer Tanya Tagaq’s new composition to accompany Robert Flaherty’s famous 1922 documentary Nanook of the North, perhaps the most well-known cinematic portrayal of First Peoples.

Meanwhile, the free art gallery includes eight pieces with video components. The Blanket by Rebecca Belmore shows performer Ming Hon struggling against a Hudson’s Bay blanket, a physical representation of colonialization, while Two Kindred Spirits by Kent Monkman is a large-scale diorama depicting the vaguely homoerotic love story of two famous “buddy” relationships – Tonto and the Lone Ranger and Winnetou and Old Shatterhand.

So far, the national and international response to the program has been overwhelming, Wente says. There have already been talks to take the show on the road, and the Berlin Film Festival recently announced it will also include an indigenous show next year.

But, Wente says, it’s fitting that the first indigenous show of this magnitude will take place on Canadian soil.

“For Canada we’re a First Peoples country – this is one of the great lands of indigenous history,” he adds. “This will make people understand the world through cinema and help them understand that it’s not just isolated here in Canada. There are challenges all around the world and there’s a unity among First Peoples in terms of their history and legacy.

“That’s really important to understand, especially as we move forward as a country and as a city that wants to understand itself a little bit better.”

Source: The National Post

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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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