The Cinematheque

For this 2024 celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day, Our Stories to Tell showcases the short films of Jules Arita Koostachin. The title of the program, ​“Pêyakotêwisiwin,” means family in InNiNeWak or Swampy Cree, Koostachin’s Indigenous language. The storyteller, PhD holder, actor, writer, producer, and director was born in Moose Factory, Ontario, and is a member of Attawapiskat First Nation, the ancestral lands of the MoshKeKo AsKi InNiNeWak. Koostachin’s work highlights the colonial struggles experienced by Indigenous peoples within so-called Canada while creating hope for the next generation through storytelling. The four shorts in this program all celebrate and uplift Koostachin’s pêyakotêwisiwin, as her four sons appear throughout the films. We witness the value Koostachin places on her culture and the importance of imparting the InNiNeWak ways on her boys so they may foster a strong sense of identity and connection to Attawapiskat and AsKi (Earth).

PLACEnta
Canada 2012
16 min.

NiiSoTeWak: Two Bodies, One Heart
Canada 2017
16 min.

OshKiKiShiKaw: A New Day
Canada 2019
25 min.

MisTik
Canada 2022
26 min.

Post-screening Q&A with director Jules Arita Koostachin.

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