The 2RO Media Festival of Six Nations of the Grand River presents a free screening of the documentary Wilfred Buck, a Top 5 Audience Favourite at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (2024).

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Wilfred Buck – directed by Lisa Jackson (2024, 96 min)

Lisa Jackson’s portrait of Indigenous astronomer and Cree Elder Wilfred Buck moves between earth and sky, past and present, bringing to life ancient teachings of Indigenous astronomy and cosmology to tell a story that spans generations. Adapted from Buck’s rollicking memoir I Have Lived Four Lives, the film weaves together stories from his life, including his harrowing young years of displacement and addiction. Seamlessly fusing present-day scenes with cinematic re-enactments and archival footage, this intimate yet expansive documentary takes us on an inspiring journey to the space beyond, and to the spaces between us all.

Watch the trailer at https://vimeo.com/942488273

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About Wilfred Buck:

Wilfred Buck is an Ininiw (Cree) astronomer, author, educator, addictions consultant, Knowledge Keeper and lecturer originally from Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN). He graduated from the University of Manitoba with two degrees in Education and has 25 years of experience as an educator, working with students from kindergarten to university. He also worked as a science facilitator for 15 years at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, where he did extensive research on Ininiw Acakosuk (Cree stars/constellations).

Currently, Wilfred gives planetarium presentations using his mobile planetarium, in addition to lectures and keynote presentations on Indigenous astronomy and Indigenous worldviews. He is considered the foremost authority on Indigenous astronomy in the world.

Wilfred has written three books: Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories (2018), the semi-autobiographical I Have Lived Four Lives (2021), on which Lisa Jackson’s documentary Wilfred Buck is based, and Kitcikisik (Great Sky): Tellings That Fill the Night Sky (2021).

About Lisa Jackson:

Lisa Jackson is an Anishinaabe filmmaker whose work has garnered two Canadian Screen Awards, been nominated for a Webby and screened at top festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, Berlinale and Hot Docs. Her VR experience Biidaaban was viewed by more than 25,000 people, while her film Indictment won Best Doc at imagineNATIVE and is one of CBC’s top watched documentaries. She won the 2022 Chicken & Egg Award and the 2021 DOC Vanguard Award, and has an MFA from York University.

According to Lisa, “Western science is excellent at breaking things down into the tiniest parts, and Indigenous knowledge is really expert in seeing how the parts fit together as a whole, understanding that relationship, and where we, as humans, fit into the big picture.”

For more information, contact 2RO Media Festival at tworomedia@gmail.com