More than Four Directions - Works by Aboriginal Women

Sunday, May 6

“[We]aving [Live]s”

7 pm

We weave our way around, between and through place, space and time, creating strength with common threads that connect us all. Our program examines the intertwine of Aboriginal community - the lost and found connections between women and men, family and friends – seeking to define a pattern in the movements we make toward each other.

Special presentation: Doreen Manuel's tribute to her father, George Manuel, an influential and dedicated global crusader for Indigenous peoples. From the Heart tells a life story that is amazing and inspiring and sets the tone for this year's program. [We]aving [Live]s... is a celebration of Aboriginal peoples' resiliency and courage and the many ways in which we support each other.

From the Heart: The George Manuel Story (19 minutes)
Director: Doreen Manuel
2006 - 19 minutes
British Columbia
Distributor: Doreen Manuel
Artist in attendance

George Manuel left a political legacy that is with us today. From humble beginnings, he became a leader of Indigenous people around the world. He organized the “Constitution Express”, gathering First Nations people from across Canada and traveling by train to Ottawa to ensure that the First Nations voices were heard as part of the constitutional process. This film combines historical footage, interviews and photo collage to bring to life this amazing leader of the people.

Tree
Director: Shelley Niro
2006 - 5 minutes
Ontario
Distributor: V-Tape

Personifying Mother Earth, a woman walks through the urban landscape and beyond, searching for that grounding. This film was commissioned by the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) for the New Directions in Cinema series.

Nganawendaanan Nde'ing (I Keep Them In My Heart)
Shannon Letandre
2006 - 6 minutes
Manitoba
First Stories: Manitoba series
Distributor: NFB

Acknowledging the costs and benefits of living in the city, the filmmaker returns to the place she calls home. Here she accompanies her grandfather as he harvests “weekay”, reminding her of the significance of family in maintaining a sense of grounding.

Niitsitapiima – Family
Sable Sweetgrass
2005 - 22 minutes
Alberta

The internal dialogue in this video beautifully tells the struggles of a young, successful Blackfoot woman, who has made her way to the city to work and attend school. As she reflects on her life, her feelings of loneliness and disconnection from her family are reflected in the life of a young Native homeless man.

Sparking Igloo
Brigitte Lebrasseur
2005 - 7 minutes
Quebec
Distributor: video femmes

Emily Novalingua writes: “Women are beautiful in this world . . . a woman is a colour”. This film depicts that beauty and colour in a moving poem recited in Inuktitut and set in an amazing panorama of Northern landscape.

Sunshine
2005 - 8 minutes
New York, USA
Director: Elizabeth Day
Distributor: Stephen Lyman, Confounded Films, LLC

A connection is made between a young social worker and a supposedly mute Native man in a touching and tender gesture of caring.

Divided by Zero
Director: Danis Goulet
2006 - 16:17 minutes
Distributor: V-Tape

A young Aboriginal crusader of causes grapples with her values and begins to question her place in the world after a disconcerting conversation with her boyfriend’s mother. In an attempt to re-assert her “cultural authenticity” she builds a tipi in her bedroom.