Opening Gala – Short Program: Yellow + Q&A

For the first time at imagineNATIVE, the Opening Night Gala features a gathering of international short films, standing together, a shared collective filling the screen seeping into our personal spaces. The fluidity of the work speaks to the artful nuance of Indigenous Cinema. Moving images as a medium of social impact, intellectual inquiry and deeper understanding of community, culture and worldviews.

Short Program: YELLOW is composed of works created by artists from seven different nations. Articulated through self-determination, “Êmîcêtôsêt: Many bloodlines” by Theola Ross (Cree) grounds the evening in thoughtful reflections of the ultimate resistance, self-love while carrying culture forward. Hope and humanity are further elaborated in Jack Steele’s (Wiradjuri) introspective short film “Between Two Lines” set in WWI. Strength of character and determination shift into focus in Ngariki Ngatae’s (Māori) “Te Wao Nui,” a critique of environmental injustice from a lens of cultural responsibility. Notions of preservation are radiantly broadcast in “Nuxalk Radio” by Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk). Community is not only at the heart of this short 2 min film but also in the 22 min short documentary that follows by Michelle Derosiers (Anishinaabe). The community narration in “Audrey’s Story” honours a lost kin while revealing ideas of injustice and power dynamics within the Canadian justice system and social fabric. The animation “Kapaemahu” by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Kanaka Maoli) brings a powerful legend back to life seen through the eyes of a curious young one. Texture and meditative sound immerse the screen in Indigenous worldviews in the animation “The Fourfold” by Alisi Telengut (Mongolian, Telengut), a contemplative delineation of contemporary perspectives. The Opening Night Gala expresses extreme compassion for Indigenous narratives creating space for invested viewing, setting the tone for six days of immersive Indigenous Cinema and media art. A regenerative gathering with Kin!

Directors: Theola Ross, Jack Steele, Ngariki Ngatae, Banchi Hanuse, Michelle Derosier, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Alisi Telengut

Live Q&A
October 20th – 9PM

Supported by: