Aboriginal voices heard at festival

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The Dreamspeakers Film Festival is set to hit Edmonton and will be part of the week-long activities celebrating National Aboriginal Day.

The festival will be held June 24 to 26 at the Provincial Museum of Alberta. The line-up of films that has been announced includes many with an Alberta connection.

The Aboriginal Youth Network (AYN) will be taking part in the festival by sponsoring a day dedicated to youth and film.

Two of the films featured at Dreamspeakers are Spirit of the Game and Dreamkeeper.

In Spirit of the Game, director Annie Frazier Henry takes audiences behind the scenes as Aboriginal athletes in British Columbia prepared for the North American Indigenous Games held in Winnipeg in the summer of 2002. Henry takes a look into their lives and cultural traditions as they go through qualifying tournaments and training.

"(Henry) is really well known in the film industry. She is an amazing, award-winning film-maker," said Kathy Walker, communications officer for AYN. "It's great for anybody who's ever practiced their heart out and went through the training and discipline required to excel in sport. They will love this film."

Classic Native American legends become re-energized and contemporized in Dreamkeeper, as director Steven Barron crafts a story about a 17-year-old boy and his storytelling grandfather going on a soul searching journey across the country.

"Dreamkeeper is a really great film to show on youth day and at this festival because a lot of the film was filmed in Alberta. And a lot of the actors are from Edmonton and Alberta and they're Aboriginal," said festival executive director Tracie Louttit.

Other films to be shown at Dreamspeakers are Found Voices, White Buffalo Burgers and three music videos-Young Enough by George Leach and directed by Craig Bernard, I'm the Lucky One by TruRez Crew and Music is the Medicine by Derek Miller, both directed by Randy Redroad.

"I'm really happy and I'm really excited to see how the whole thing turns out. It makes me so honored to have so many varieties of films out there that aren't normally accessible to the general public in terms of being in video stores or screening down at Cineplex Odeon," said Louttit.

"There is a lot of talented film-makers out there, and as a film festival our mandate is to promote these Aboriginal film-makers."

Festival organizers announced CHUM Limited as a major sponsor of the event.

"I think that having CHUM on board is an excellent opportunity for both parties involved, for them as well for us," said Louttit. "I know they are very keen on supporting the Aboriginal arts industry and we are extremely grateful that they have decided to choose us."

Tickets for the festival are available at the box office at the Provincial Museum of Alberta or at Tix at the Square.