Jeff Barnaby

Directing

Jeff Barnaby

Died October 13, 2022

Jeff Barnaby was a Mi'kmaqi director, writer, composer and film editor. He is best known for his feature films Rhymes for Young Ghouls and Blood Quantum.

Known For

Blood QuantumBlood Quantum · 2019
Blood Quantum
5.82019
MovieHorror
The dead are coming back to life outside the isolated Mi'kmaq reserve of Red Crow, except for its Indigenous inhabitants who are strangely immune to the zombie plague.
Rhymes for Young GhoulsRhymes for Young Ghouls · 2013
Rhymes for Young Ghouls
6.62013
MovieDramaCrime
In 1976, a Mi'gMaq teenager plots revenge against the sadistic Indian agent who imprisoned her in a residential school where rape and abuse are common.
From Cherry EnglishFrom Cherry English · 2004
From Cherry English
7.72004
MovieHorrorThriller
A surrealistic allergory on the loss of language and identity in the city from an indigenous perspective.
Black OutBlack Out · 2003
Black Out
2003
Movie
A young woman obsessed with her body goes to brutal lengths to fit into her favourite dress.
Meneath: The Hidden Island of EthicsMeneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics · 2021
Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics
6.52021
MovieAnimation
Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics dives deeply into the innate contrast between the Seven Deadly Sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Pride and Envy) and the Seven Sacred Teachings (Love, Respect, Wisdom, Courage, Truth, Honesty and Humility), as embodied in the life of a precocious Métis baby. Brought to life by Terril Calder’s darkly beautiful stop-motion animation, her inner turmoil of abuse is laid bare with unflinching honesty. Convinced she’s soiled and destined for Hell, Baby Girl receives teachings that fill her with strength and pride, and affirm a path towards healing. Calder’s tour-de-force unearths a hauntingly familiar yet hopeful world that illuminates the bias of colonial systems.
The ColonyThe Colony · 2007
The Colony
2007
MovieDrama
A Mi'gmaq man struggling with life off the reservation descends into drug-addled madness when his girlfriend leaves him for his best friend, turning his rage and despair against the only visible enemy: the swarm of cockroaches that have invaded his trailer.
Etlinisigu'niet (Bleed Down)Etlinisigu'niet (Bleed Down) · 2015
Etlinisigu'niet (Bleed Down)
2015
MovieDocumentary
Etlinisigu’niet (Bleed Down) is part of Souvenir, a four-film series addressing Indigenous identity and representation by reworking material in the NFB’s archives.
File Under MiscellaneousFile Under Miscellaneous · 2010
File Under Miscellaneous
6.32010
Movie
Set in a dystopic metropolitan hellscape: a spiritually exhausted and destitute Mi'gMaq man has resolved to assimilate into the ruling culture. He visits a surgical clinic - the display window littered with skin and limb samples - and undergoes a gruesome procedure to rid him of his red skin.

Filmography

Sort
Meneath: The Hidden Island of EthicsMeneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics · 2021
Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics
6.52021
MovieAnimation
Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics dives deeply into the innate contrast between the Seven Deadly Sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Pride and Envy) and the Seven Sacred Teachings (Love, Respect, Wisdom, Courage, Truth, Honesty and Humility), as embodied in the life of a precocious Métis baby. Brought to life by Terril Calder’s darkly beautiful stop-motion animation, her inner turmoil of abuse is laid bare with unflinching honesty. Convinced she’s soiled and destined for Hell, Baby Girl receives teachings that fill her with strength and pride, and affirm a path towards healing. Calder’s tour-de-force unearths a hauntingly familiar yet hopeful world that illuminates the bias of colonial systems.

Editor