The Cinematheque

“An affirming account of resilience and hope that sparkles with authentic performances, sensitive scripting, and a genuine sense of place that resonate well after the final credits roll.”

Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter

This program pairs Idle No More by Anishinaabe director Ginger Cote, a member of Kitigan Zibi Anishinaabek First Nation, with Fancy Dance, directed by Seneca-Cayuga filmmaker Erica Tremblay. The former honours the powerful poetry of the late Heather Archibald, a social activist and foster-care child, interweaving singing, drumming, and powwow dancing in its demand for systemic change and justice. The latter follows Jax (Lily Gladstone), a queer Cayuga woman searching for her missing sister on the Seneca-Cayuga Reservation in Oklahoma while caring for her niece, Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson). Tremblay balances an intimate coming-of-age story with the complexities of life as an Indigenous woman living in a settler-colonial world. Together, these two films offer an urgent exploration of the injustices facing Indigenous communities—such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls epidemic—through deeply personal narratives and the power of powwow dancing as a symbol of resistance, connection, and healing.

In English and Cayuga with English subtitles

preceded by

Idle No More
Canada 2018
Ginger Cote
5 min. DCP