The Cinematheque

Free Admission

“The inspiration for my work comes from our own people’s rich history. I am a messenger of these stories and have been entrusted to bring them to a wider audience. The telling of our stories from our perspective and giving voice to our communities is critical. I feel fortunate to be able to live the history of our people through the documentaries I make.”

Barb Cranmer

Ƚaxwesa Wa—Strength of the River
Canada 1995
Barb Cranmer
54 min. DCP

As distinct fishing societies of great spiritual, cultural, and economic wealth, Indigenous peoples have always respected the resources of their rivers and oceans. But within their own lifetime, they have watched governments ​“manage” the fishery into a state of crisis. Filmmaker Barb Cranmer, a member of the ​‘Na̱mǥis First Nation, explores the rich fishing traditions of the Sto:lo, Heiltsuk, and ​‘Na̱mǥis peoples of Canada’s West Coast in Ƚaxwesa Wa—Strength of the River. With over fifteen years’ experience fishing Johnstone Strait with her father, Cranmer presents rarely heard stories of traditional fishing practices and documents Indigenous peoples’ efforts to build a sustainable fishery for the future. —NFB

In English and Kwakʼwala with English subtitles

“[Cranmer’s] films document the texture of life as it is lived today—of weaving, carving, song, dance, fishing, and the Potlatch—and are informed by cultural and political self-determination.” —University of Chicago Film Studies Center

followed by

‘Namegan’s Om Dlu’wans Awinagwisex—We Are One with the Land
Canada 2009
Barb Cranmer
32 min. DVD

Comprising a network of lands, rivers, waters, and islands in the northern region of Vancouver Island, the ancestral territory of the ​‘Na̱mǥis First Nation has sustained and defined its people, in their spirit, song, and dance, for thousands of years. The existential bond between this place and its stewards is celebrated in Cranmer’s empowering short documentary.

In English and Kwakʼwala with English subtitles

Guests: producer Cari Green, filmmaker Loretta Todd

“Barb Cranmer was one of the most prolific and awarded Indigenous documentary filmmakers of her generation. Her films resonate today with their themes of self-reliance, beneficial transformation, optimism, cultural legacy, and human dignity.” Harry Killas

—Intermission—

Monkey Beach
Canada 2020
Loretta Todd
103 min. DCP

Based on the iconic novel by Haisla/​Heiltsuk author Eden Robinson, the first narrative feature from Cree/​Métis filmmaker Loretta Todd opened VIFF 2020 and swept the American Indian Film Festival awards, winning best picture, director, and all four acting prizes. A supernatural story rooted in spiritual tradition and the territory it is set (and shot) on—Kitamaat, BC—Monkey Beach follows a Haisla woman (Grace Dove), tormented by visions of dark fates and dead loved ones, as she returns to her Kitamaat community after two self-destructive years in Vancouver. Reunited with her family, she must reckon with her past and uncanny gifts, and save her kid brother (Trickster​’s Joel Ouellette), lost at sea. Despite the myriad drawbacks of a shoestring budget (frustrations the director has been frank about), Todd delivers a potent, intergenerational tale of cultural empowerment, familial bonds, and the porousness between realms mystical and material.

Introduced by director Loretta Todd

“The debut dramatic feature of veteran filmmaker and media artist Loretta Todd, one of the first Indigenous women to pursue film studies at Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University.” Harry Killas

“Mesmerizing … [A] powerful ode to Indigenous resilience, ancestral knowledge, and storytelling.” Paloma Pacheco, The Tyee

Please note: Unclaimed tickets for complimentary screenings at The Cinematheque will be released 15 minutes before showtime. Please arrive early to guarantee your seat.