Nitassinan
Nitassinan is a feature-length documentary that bears witness to the Innu people and affirms our history—past, present, and future. The film testifies to our vitality, our resilience, and the unbreakable bond that unites us to the land. Because Nitassinan is not only the place we come from; it is a living part of ourselves. It has nourished our language, inspired our thoughts, and guided our steps. This film is a message of love for our territory, which saw our birth and which still accompanies us today, even in our dreams.
Forests
In a dark, ambiguous environment, minuscule particles drift slowly before the lens. The image focuses to reveal spruce trees and tall pines, while Innu voices tell us the story of this territory, this flooded forest. Muffled percussive sounds gradually become louder, suggesting the presence of a hydroelectric dam. The submerged trees gradually transform into firebrands as whispers bring back the stories of this forest.
Attiuk
The people of Unamenshipu (La Romaine), an Innu community in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, are seen but not heard in this richly detailed documentary about the rituals surrounding an Innu caribou hunt. Released in 1960, it’s one of 13 titles in Au Pays de Neufve-France, a series of poetic documentary shorts about life along the St. Lawrence River. Off-camera narration, written by Pierre Perrault, frames the Innu participants through an ethnographic lens. Co-directed by René Bonnière and Perrault, a founding figure of Quebec’s direct cinema movement.
Le Dep
A a psychological drama about Lydia, a young Innu woman who works at her father’s convenience store in a small First Nations community in rural Quebec. One night, as she prepares to close up shop, a masked robber enters the store and holds her at gunpoint. This traumatic experience becomes even more troubling when Lydia recognizes her assailant. Before long, she will have to make a decision that will forever change the course of her life.
Tshiuetin
Take a breathtaking train a ride through Nothern Quebec and Labrador on Canada’s first First Nations-owned railway. Come for the celebration of the power of independence, the crucial importance of aboriginal owned businesses and stay for the beauty of the northern landscape.
Milikᵘ tshishutshelimunuau
The journey of a young candidate running in the Pessamit community band council elections.
Ethereal
A man spreads rumours about a local elder. To be forgiven, he will be put to the test. Ka tatishtipatakanit (Ethereal) is a poetic lesson about respect.
Those Who Come, Will Hear
The documentary proposes a unique meeting with the speakers of several indigenous and inuit languages of Quebec – all threatened with extinction. The film starts with the discovery of these unsung tongues through listening to the daily life of those who still speak them today. Buttressed by an exploration and creation of archives, the film allows us to better understand the musicality of these languages and reveals the cultural and human importance of these venerable oral traditions by nourishing a collective reflection on the consequences of their disappearance.
Kuessipan
Two childhood friends from the same Quebec Innu community begin to realize that they face very different futures.
Betsiamites
Meteshu innushkueu
Manicouagan
Driven by an intimate quest, this choral film reveals the meeting of individuals who inhabit the territory of Manicouagan and who together contribute to defining its geomorphological and socio-cultural imprints through time in a dreamlike manner.
Ninan Auassat: We, the Children
Known for her intimate films, director Kim O’Bomsawin (Call Me Human) invites viewers into the lives of Indigenous youth in this absorbing new documentary. Shot over six years, the film brings us the moving stories, dreams, and experiences of three groups of children and teens from different Indigenous nations: Atikamekw, Eeyou Cree, and Innu. In following these young people through the formative years of their childhood and right through their high school years, we witness their daily lives, their ideas, and aspirations for themselves and their communities, as well as some of the challenges they face.
Nin E Tepueian: My Cry
NIN E TEPUEIAN - MY CRY is a documentary tracks the journey of Innu poet, actress and activist, Natasha Kanapé Fontaine, at a pivotal time in her career as a committed artist. Santiago Bertolino's camera follows a young Innu poet over the course of a year. A voice rises, inspiration builds; another star finds its place amongst the constellation of contemporary Indigenous literature. A voice of prominent magnitude illuminates the road towards healing and renewal: Natasha Kanapé Fontaine.
Harvesting Traditional Innu Foods: Amishkᵘ
In this raw, authentic look, examine how a beaver goes from caught in a trapline to on the fire being cooked up for a meal. Amishkᵘ (beaver) is a common and sustainable food source for Innu for centuries in Labrador, harvesting the uiashamishkᵘ (beaver meat). This film documents Jerome Pone pakunamishkueu (Innu-aimun for harvesting beaver meat). This was filmed by Innu youth Reighlyn Penashue and Karlianna Pokue, with the help of the Labrador Indie Film Troupe instructors, and created in partnership with Innu at the Manishan Nui Gull Island Gathering. Caution: If people are not used to understanding where their food comes from, they may think the following film contains graphic images.
My Pride
Spontaneous portrait of an endearing and cheerful teenager living in balance between traditionalism and modernity. She presents her regalia to us and we share her pride in being Innu.
A Tent on Mars
Three decades after the shuttering of the mining town of Schefferville, the Innu people, who moved in after the non-natives abandoned the town, are facing a new challenge: the iron mines are about to be reopened. Land, identity and legitimacy are central to the dialogue between peoples locked in parallel struggles, the Québécois and the First Nations.
Tricksters
Shot during the first ever Innu circus festival in Labrador, Canada, Tricksters gives the viewing audience a positive glimpse into these troubled native communities. The artistry of international performers is combined with the native tradition of drumming and dancing offering a wider appreciation for the Innu way of life. Tricksters features Beni Malone's Wonderbolt Circus, as well as two time world champion hoop dancer Lisa Odjig who interacts with Innu Elders and children in workshops. Interviews with Innu elders inspire a greater appreciation for the Innu way of life. Tricksters offers an emergence of art and native culture, rarely seen on the screen.
Interwoven
Five female artisans from the Innu, Franco-Quebecois, and Zapotec peoples discuss their work. Their techniques, objects, and textile traditions give rise to stories that overlap. Their clothing reflects on identity and otherness.
Florent Vollant – Innu
Florent Vollant, an iconic musician of the Innu nation, feels the urgent need to tell his story like never before. Co-founder of the celebrated duo Kashtin, renowned for his acclaimed solo albums and as a political activist in defense of his culture, Florent now has limited mobility due to a stroke. As he enters a new chapter of his life, he remains committed to creating, transmitting and dreaming up new projects.