Monday, September 30, 2024

Truth and Reconciliation Day: NFB Film Screenings

The Museum of Vancouver and the National Film Board are partnering to screen films by Indigenous directors for Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30th. The films chosen focus on how Indigenous communities are coming together to heal and move forward.

WaaPake (Tomorrow) is Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin’s deeply personal documentary that unravels the tangled threads of silence suffered by residential school Survivors through truth, freedom and power.

Our People Will Be Healed is Alanis Obomsawin’s film about the Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre in Norway House, north of Winnipeg. This Cree community has been enriched through the power of education. Not only do the students develop their abilities, but also their sense of pride and connection with their ancestral culture.

Both films will be preceded by Orange Shirt Day is Every Day by 3 Crows Productions, a short film featuring Elders and Residential School Survivors who return to the grounds of St. Mary's Indian Residential School located in Mission, BC.

We understand that the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is for learning, while also mourning heavy histories. Medicine bundles by Lil’wat healer Jackie Andrew will be available.

Admission to the MOV is by donation with proceeds going to the Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society.

We would like to acknowledge the filmmakers, 3 Crows Productions, and the NFB for making it possible for us to screen their films. We also thank our neighbours at the HR MacMillan Space Centre for hosting the screenings in their auditorium that day.

Date: September 30, 2024

Event Schedule:

10:30am: WaaPake (Tomorrow)

1:00pm: Our People Will Be Healed

Tickets:

Auditorium: Free film viewing for everyone.

MOV Galleries: The Museum has free admission that day with the option to donate the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) and it is not required to donate to join the programming or to go through the galleries.

Space Centre: Standard rates apply for entry and programs.

*Both institutions are free for those who self-identify as Indigenous.


About the Films:

WaaPaKe (Tomorrow)

For generations, the suffering of residential school Survivors has radiated outward, impacting Indigenous families and communities. Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin’s deeply personal documentary WaaPaKe (Tomorrow) moves beyond intergenerational trauma, with an invitation to unravel the tangled threads of silence and unite in collective freedom and power.

Our People Will Be Healed

Alanis Obomsawin’s 50th film reveals how a Cree community in Manitoba has been enriched through the power of education. The Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre in Norway House, north of Winnipeg, receives a level of funding that few other Indigenous institutions enjoy. Its teachers help their students to develop their abilities and their sense of pride. In addition to teaching academic subjects, the school reconnects students with their ancestral culture.

Orange Shirt Day is Every Day

3 Crows Productions takes you on a visual journey of what Orange Shirt Day means to them. Elders and Residential School Survivors Cyril Pierre and Joseph Ginger return to the grounds of St. Mary's Indian Residential School located in Mission, BC. Indigenous storytellers Dallas Yellowfly and Alysha Collie accompany them. They explain why Orange Shirt Day is every day, and why this day is so important. Their messages aim to bring hope to future generations of youth, educators and communities. The Orange Shirt featured in the video is created by our Alysha Collie.


About the filmmakers:

The NFB is Canada’s public producer and distributor of award-winning documentaries, auteur animation, interactive stories and participatory experiences. Since 1968, the NFB has produced over 300 works by First Nations, Métis and Inuit filmmakers—an unparalleled collection that pushes past dominant narratives and provides Indigenous perspectives to Canadian and global audiences. The NFB is implementing an action plan with commitments that include devoting a minimum of 15% of overall production spending to Indigenous-led productions and making these works more accessible via Indigenous Cinema, a destination on NFB.ca.

3 Crows Productions is a unique group of Indigenous Educational Storytellers dedicated to increasing awareness of culture, history and experience from an Indigenous perspective. As a 100% Indigenous owned and operated company, each member has verifiable ancestry and lived experience to share. Each member is dedicated to educating the future generations of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members through presentations, Oral Storytelling, live theatre performances and documentary filmmaking.