Posted on September 30, 2021
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is designated as an opportunity to ‘recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools.’ It was originally proposed in 2015 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which under Action 80 called upon the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous peoples, to establish a statutory holiday “to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”
You may already be aware that September 30 has been observed since 2013 as Orange Shirt Day, a movement to recognize the colonial legacy of residential schools. Orange Shirt Day recalls the experience of residential school survivor Phyllis Jack-Webstad, who at six was stripped of her shiny new orange shirt on her first day attending the St. Joseph Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, BC.
CIFF will mark the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation by making RETURNING HOME available for streaming. This film follows Phyllis Jack-Webstad on a nationwide educational tour, while her family struggles to heal multigenerational wounds and environmental degradation at home in Secwépemc territory. In addition to RETURNING HOME becoming available for online viewing, CIFF would like to offer the film for free to any teachers as part of our Generation Next program, so they may screen it in their classrooms. For more information, email programming@ciffcalgary.ca
In honour of this day, we’ve compiled a list of films that are part of CIFF’s 2021 programming that feature Indigenous creators and stories, and are available to stream online. Also included in our list are past CIFF films that are able to stream for free on external streaming services.
RETURNING HOME
RETURNING HOME follows Phyllis Jack-Webstad on a nationwide educational tour, while her family struggles to heal multigenerational wounds at home in Secwépemc territory. Amid a global pandemic and the lowest salmon run in Canadian history, the film also explores the absence of salmon along the upper Fraser River, and how a multi-year fishing moratorium is tearing at the fabric of Secwépemc communities. By bearing witness to the trauma experienced by Phyllis and her family, RETURNING HOME holds a mirror to the trauma experienced by the natural world, too. For the Secwépemc, healing people and healing the natural world are one and the same
Available to stream from Thursday, September 30 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
JOE BUFFALO
Joe Buffalo is an Indigenous skateboard legend. He's also a survivor of Canada’s notorious Residential School system.
This short film precedes RETURNING HOME
DON’T SAY ITS NAME
An environmental activist is called back to the living world after dying in a questionable “accident”. When her spirit returns as a ferocious monster, local officers team up to stop her before she continues to feed on all who get in her way.
Available online from Thursday, September 30 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
KIMMAPIIYIPITSSINI: THE MEANING OF EMPATHY
Filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers turns her camera toward her community—the Kainai First Nation in Alberta—and crafts an intimate portrait of those who suffer the impacts of the opioid crisis.
Available online from Sunday, September 26 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
PORTRAITS FROM A FIRE
A coming-of-age film following an eccentric misfit named Tyler who spends his days recording and vlogging his Indigenous community and hanging out with his grandparents.
Available online from Monday, September 27 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
WILDHOOD
A rebellious two-spirit teenager runs away from home to find his birth mother and reclaim his Mi'kmaw heritage.
Available online from Monday, September 27 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
RUN WOMAN RUN
Taking place in Six Nations, Canada and with a powerful lead performance by Dakota Ray Hebert, as well as stand-out casting all around including Lorne Cardinal, director Zoe Leigh Hopkins debut feature is a unique Indigenous story that still feels universal and natural
Available online from Wednesday, September 29 at 9 AM to Friday, October 1 at 9 AM.
ONE OF OURS
When a Haitian boy adopted by an Indigenous family is refused the right to play in the All Native Basketball Tournament, he faces a healing journey regarding his identity, family, and community.
Available to stream from Thursday, September 23 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
EVAN’S DRUM
An adventurous young boy and his determined mother share a passion for Inuit drum dancing in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
Available to stream as part of SHORTS: POSITIVE VIBRATION Thursday, September 23 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
THE MOOGAI
A young Aboriginal couple has just had their first child, but what should be one of the happiest times in their lives turns to terror when Sarah starts seeing a malevolent spirit she believes is trying to take her baby.
Available to stream as part of SHORTS: MIDNIGHT RAVERS Thursday, September 23 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
HOP ALONG HANG ON
Rose the rabbit seeks her way home in this poetic story of reclamation, recovery, and reconciliation.
Available to stream as part of SHORTS: ALBERTA SPIRIT NARRATIVES Thursday, September 23 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
RKLSS
While in prison, an artist finds escape and discovers his spirituality through drawing.
Available to stream as part of SHORTS: ALBERTA SPIRIT NARRATIVES Thursday, September 23 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
KʷƏNÁŊƏT NÉʔ
A young Indigenous artist transcends his feelings of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic by connecting to a community online.
Available to stream as part of SHORTS: YOUTH BY YOUTH CINEMA Thursday, September 23 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
MARLENE HEAVYSHIELDS (GLOWING IN THE DARK WOMAN)
Marlene Heavyshields, a survivor of Residential Schools, shares her story of overcoming loss and trauma.
Available to stream as part of SHORTS: YOUTH BY YOUTH CINEMA Thursday, September 23 at 9 AM to Sunday, October 3 at 11:59 PM.
PAST CIFF FILMS
NIPAWISTAMASOWIN: WE WILL STAND UP
THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN
JORDAN RIVER ANDERSON: THE MESSENGER
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