To mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, please come to the Royal Theatre in Trail for a special short film program featuring some exceptional NFB films from Indigenous filmmakers. The schedule is as follows:

11:30 am: Holy Angels and The Amendment

12:00 pm: Etlinisigu’niet (Bleed Down) and As I Am

12:30 pm: Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair

The films:

Holy Angels – directed by Jay Cardinal Villeneuve (2017, 13 min)
In 1963, Lena Wandering Spirit became one of the more than 150,000 Indigenous children who were removed from their families and sent to residential school. Jay Cardinal Villeneuve’s short documentary Holy Angels powerfully recaptures Canada’s colonialist history through impressionistic images and the fragmented language of a child. Villeneuve met Lena through his work as a videographer with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Filmed with a fierce determination to not only uncover history but move past it, Holy Angels speaks of the resilience of a people who have found ways of healing—and of coming home again.

The Amendment – directed by Kevin Papatie (2007 4 min)
In the Kitcisakik community, the Algonquin language is dying out, just four generations after the federal government’s assimilation policy came into effect.

Etlinisigu’niet (Bleed Down) – directed by Jeff Barnaby (2015, 5 min)
In five short minutes, this short film destroys any remaining shreds of the myth of a fair and just Canada. Children forced from their homes and sent to residential schools, families examined like livestock in crowded tuberculosis clinics, tainted water and land, poisoned for industry and profit at the cost of Indigenous lives, and the list goes on. But filmmaker Jeff Barnaby’s message is clear: We are still here. Featuring the music of Tanya Tagaq.

As I Am – directed by Nadia Myre (2010, 4 min)
This short experimental documentary challenges stereotypes about Indigenous people in the workplace. Featuring portraits set to a powerful poem by Mohawk writer Janet Marie Rogers, the film urges viewers to go beyond their preconceived notions. As I Am is a celebration of Indigenous people’s pride in their work and culture.

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.

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All are welcome and pre-registration is not required.

Presented by the Trail Arts Council and VISAC Art Gallery. More information at https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=555744793472129&set=pcb.555744860138789