Emptying the Tank

The traumatic events that occur over the period of one night in a Canadian residential school infirmary. In 1930, 8 year old Elizabeth and her infant cousin are taken from their family and quarantined due to a tuberculosis scare.

Mani, a master’s student, returns to the reserve in northern Quebec where she grew up. Her painful past resurfaces. Resolved to reintegrate into the community, she gets involved in the debate around a referendum on allowing the free sale of alcohol on the reserve. Laura, a bootlegger, pockets the profits she makes there under the protection of the band council and her partner Raymond. The latter is still angry with Mani, whom he holds responsible for the death of his daughter in a fire. Opposing forces quickly divide the community into two sides who face each other to determine the best path to independence.

A journey by canoe into the city creates a dynamic interconnection between natural and urban spaces, in this evocative short set to a hypnotizing soundtrack by Inuk artist Tanya Taqaq.

An experimental film that weaves the intimate thoughts of one woman (Ikwé) with the teachings of her grandmother, the Moon, creating a surreal narrative experience that communicates the power of thought and personal reflection.

Take a breathtaking train a ride through Nothern Quebec and Labrador on Canada’s first First Nations-owned railway. Come for the celebration of the power of independence, the crucial importance of aboriginal owned businesses and stay for the beauty of the northern landscape.

A short film exploring the ritual practices among indigenous First Nation tribes in North America.

The Seven Last Words sounds out the experiential states and rituals particular to humanity, based on seven themes expressed in an oratorio: forgiveness, hope, relation, abandonment, distress, triumph, and life after the death.

Six regal Indigenous women relish in an opulent feast. This dazzling and sumptuous fantasia is a vivid celebration of their majesty and power and a signal of new beginnings.

Featuring indigenous women of various generations, Pidikwe integrates traditional and contemporary dance in an audiovisual whirlwind that straddles the border between film and performance, somewhere between the past and the future.

Five Indigenous women filmmakers from across Canada challenge one another to make a film under a set of restrictions tailored to each filmmaker.

Part of a trilogy of experimental documentaries done on South East Collegiate students. South East is a boarding school in Winnipeg for Aboriginal youth coming from the North. This short film recalls the esthetic of traditional Japanese cinema. It portrays a young solitary figure seeking its place in society. His journey from North to the city encapsulates his struggle to become responsible and seek serenity.

Gephyrophobia – meaning fear of bridges – is a film about movement, landscape and the tension between two very distinct identities sharing the Outaouais River as their common border. The Situated Cinema Commission Project for WNDX - Winnipeg’s Festival of Film and Video art.