Join the UBC Department of Forestry for these showcases of Indigenous short films, food and conversation. Folil Trafün (‘Joining roots’ in Mapuzugun) is part of several showcases of Indigenous and Afro-diaspora films made in Latin America and Canada, followed by dialogues to deepen understanding of the films and their relationship with local realities. All events are free and everyone is welcome.

Two separate programs will be offered:

PROGRAM ONE: November 8th at 4:00 pm at UBC’s St. John’s College at 2111 Lower Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4, featuring the NFB films

Writing the Land   – director Kevin Lee Burton (2007, 7 min)

The Musqueam people have lived for thousands of years in and around what is now the city of Vancouver. Writing the Land meticulously combines film language with Hunkamenum words to recreate Musqueam elder Larry Grant’s experience of rediscovering his language and cultural traditions. Fluid roaming camera movement captures the ever-changing nature of a modern city – the glass and steel towers cut against the sky, grass, trees and a sudden flash of birds in flight. In this mutable, multifaceted environment, the enduring power of language to shape perception and create memory is etched onto the wind and water. In Larry Grant’s own words, ‘I am from Musqueam…We have been here forever.’

Honour To Senator Murray Sinclair – directed by Alanis Obomsawin (2021, 29 min) 

As the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Senator Murray Sinclair was a key figure in raising global awareness of the atrocities of Canada’s residential school system. With determination, wisdom and kindness, Senator Sinclair remains steadfast in his belief that the path to actual reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people requires understanding and accepting often difficult truths about Canada’s past and present. Alanis Obomsawin shares the powerful speech the Senator gave when he accepted the WFM-Canada World Peace Award, interspersing the heartbreaking testimonies of former students imprisoned at residential schools.

…this program also includes an Indigenous film from Latin America, Karuara, People of the River.

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PROGRAM TWO: November 14th at 4:00 pm at UBC Robson Square,  800 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2E7, featuring the NFB film

The Ballad of Crowfoot – director Willie Dunn (1968, 10 min)

Released in 1968 and often referred to as Canada’s first music video, The Ballad of Crowfoot was directed by Willie Dunn, a Mi’kmaq/Scottish folk singer and activist who was part of the historic Indian Film Crew, the first all-Indigenous production unit at the NFB. The film is a powerful look at colonial betrayals, told through a striking montage of archival images and a ballad composed by Dunn himself about the legendary 19th-century Siksika (Blackfoot) chief who negotiated Treaty 7 on behalf of the Blackfoot Confederacy. The IFC’s inaugural release, Crowfoot was the first Indigenous-directed film to be made at the NFB.

…this program also includes an Indigenous film from Latin America, The Tea Creek.

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For more info, contact for.recep@ubc.ca or 604-822-2727.