Indigenous film work gets needed exposure

Page 9

The IMAGeNation Aboriginal Film and Video Festival has continued to grow both in size and reputation since holding its inaugural affair in November 1998. The theme for this year's seventh annual festival, to be held Feb. 17 to 20, is "Indigenous Inter-Faces," and will feature more than 100 entries, including short drama and documentaries, experimental works, video art, animation, music videos and feature-length films and documentaries.

The event is sponsored by the Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN) and Best Western Chateau Granville, the festival's official host.

"We've had some exciting developments this year," said Dorothy Christian, executive director of the Indigenous Media Arts Group (IMAG), the organization responsible for hosting the event.

One of those developments is the festival's new screening venue at Raja Cinemas 639 Commercial in Vancouver. Also new this year is the partnership with the Chief Dan George Centre for Advanced Education where panel discussions and closing awards ceremonies will take place.

Christian said that as of Raven's Eye's publication date, the program committee was still selecting entries from the many submissions received. What she could reveal, however, was that festival-goers could count on finding the work of Mi'kmaq director Jeff Barnaby, who has two short films entered-Blackout and From Cherry English-which he will be screening at the Sundance Film Festival at the end of January.

Another film to watch for is Taika Waititi's short Two Cars, One Night, produced from a child's point of view. Also selected for Sundance, Two Cars, One Night won best short film in the Panorama Section of the 2004 Berlin Film Festival.

Sterlin Harjo, from the Seminole-Creek Nation, will bring his dramatic short Goodnight Irene to IMAGeNation after premiering it at Sundance.

While the festival concentrates on showcasing the works of artists in the Western Hemisphere, it also serves to highlight films from Indigenous people from the Pacific Rim, Australia and New Zealand.

Christian said submissions and queries from artists around the world, including Korea and Africa, have been coming into IMAG.

"We even had people asking us if they could submit from Eastern Europe, because they consider themselves Indigenous, but we've had to say no," said Christian.

In addition to the regular programming, IMAGeNation is featuring a program entitled Shared Vision, that will serve to highlight a different culture every year.

This year's Shared Vision will feature Latino and Hispanic films and videos by guest curator Cristina Venegas, professor of Latino Film Studies at the University of California.

"We're very excited about her coming," said Christian.

She said each year IMAG chooses to honor someone in the film industry and this year will pay tribute to actor Gary Farmer, a Cayuga from the Six Nations reserve in Ohsweken, Ont.

Farmer will be honored during the opening ceremonies at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre, where guests to Coast Salish territory will be welcomed with traditional drumming and dancing.

Farmer is often remembered for his performance as Philbert Bono in Powwow Highway, a role for which he received a best actor award at the American Indian Film Festival. The actor also received a Genie nomination in 1996 for best actor for work in Henry and Verlin.

"Gary has been at this work long before some of us were born," said Christian, an independent film-maker with 75 works to her credit. She has been involved with IMAG since 2003, and has watched the organization and its annual festival evolve over the years.

"I watched the development of IMAG when I lived in Toronto," she said. "I paid attention to it all along... We have few venues to present our works."

Before IMAG, Christian explained, "There wasn't a venue in Vancouver to promote, present or disseminate any of the work people were doing."

She looked back to the firstIMAGeNation, and pointed out that the organization managed, with a very limited budget, to put together screening for 50 films at three venues.

Christian said that what she really likes about the festival is that it supports self-determination and cultural autonomy in Aboriginal communities.

"Part of that is having control of our own voices in the media and being able to tell our own stories from an Aboriginal perspective," she said, adding that it's important to honor the fact that Indigenous people have a diversity of voices.

"Many people in main stream want to lump us all together as one, whereas we have many, many cultures in our communities and we have diversity within ourselves," said Christian. "I think that's what the works do, educate about all Indigenous communities."

For more information on IMAGeNation, visit www.imag-nation.com or call IMAG at 604.871.0173. Tickets will be available for purchase at Raja Cinemas throughout the festival. Admission for children and seniors is free.