Inmates in a Victoria BC jail are working together on a once in a lifetime project. A chance to take their minds off of their past deeds and focus on the positive. Carving a 40 ft totem is no small undertaking but with guidance from Coast Salish carver Tom LaFortune they are about to take on this epic undertaking.
Indigenous
Ukko
Ten-year-old girl Olei lives with her grandparents and her only friend – Kaunikki the cow in a withering Karelian village on the shores of the White Sea. Suddenly, the girl's grandfather passes away. While her grandmother, gripped by the bitterness of loss, conducts funeral rituals, Olei seeks solace in Kaunikki’s company. But on the funeral eve Kaunikki disappears, and the only person, who could help find her, is dead.
Closure: One Last Look at St-Joseph’s
St-Joseph's Roman Catholic mission in Chisasibi was once a church that was cherished by many. Five weeks after the Vatican rescinded the doctrine of discovery, it held its final Sunday mass. A closure that went quietly and unannounced, and felt like a step towards decolonization.
Toroboro: The Name Of The Plants
Twenty-five years after a renowned ethno-botanical study in the Ecuadorian Amazon region inhabited by the Waorani, the central figures involved reunite. Members of the community talk about the genocidal colonization of their people since the arrival of Christian missionaries. The main threats to their survival are now the oil and timber industries.
Anotc ota ickwaparin akosiin
We see a mother doing household chores while her daughter is playing carefree. A voice-over talks to her own mother, sharing happy and painful memories and awakening deep wounds passed down from generation to generation.
Coming Home (Wanna Icipus Kupi)
Coming Home (Wanna Icipus Kupi) reveals the impacts of the Sixties Scoop and explores Indigenous resilience through narrative sovereignty; as lived by the Little Bird series’ Indigenous creatives, cast, crew & community members. Delivering a hard-hitting reality check for viewers unfamiliar with the Sixties Scoop, providing insight into the policies that were created to separate Indigenous children from their heritage, and the systems that continue to dismantle Indigenous families today.