Indigenous villages at risk is an ethnographic documentary whose central purpose is to show the direct testimonies of people from nine indigenous villages, who have lived directly transformations of their cultures, some agreed upon by their communities, but many others without consensus. The statements contained in this documentary shows many facets of everyday life, culture and the problems faced by indigenous people, and bring out their strengths and their joy of life while showing, with clear evidence, the difficulties that arise for cultural strengthening of their communities. The video is divided into three parts and each features three different villages: Identity, Territory and Integrity.
Las Raíces del Roble
Through the lens of sport, AFL legend Michael O'Loughlin shines a light on the history and experience of the Indigenous Australian people. Current AFL players, Michael Walters and Tarryn Thomas, join O'Loughlin to unpack racism, discrimination and the unbreakable bond they each share with their indigenous communities.
Following filmmaker Taye Alvis as he looks to reconnect to his community of Walpole Island First Nation. Taye will explore his relationship to Walpole Island, and how one can reconnect to their traditions and culture by way of conversation, arts, and recreation.
More than an attachment to our territory, the Innu live a filial relationship with Nitassinan, our ancestral homeland. For so many generations, the land has nourished, cared for and raised us. It has inspired our language, our culture, our lifeway and our vision of the world. Throughout the seasons, our ancestors criss-crossed the territory on foot, by canoe or on snowshoes. They knew every river, lake, or stream; every mountain, hill or bog; every camp, trail and portage path. Nomadism forged our people, and the film will record this journey and our history – past, present and future. And while it will attest to our vitality and resilience it is also – and above all – a tribute and a message of respect for the Earth.
Portrait of the Dene, natives of the Northwest Territories whose way of life has been documented by an Oblate father who has lived with them for more than seventy years.
In the north of the state of Pará is the largest block of protected forests in the world; an area of Amazon rainforest the size of the UK and home to a multitude of stories. Indigenous people, ranchers, squatters, quilombolas, businessmen and politicians reflect in their own way the impacts of the possible expansion of the BR-163 into the forest, as far as the border with Suriname. The highway project was created at the time of the military dictatorship, and until today as a shadow over the region. But this is not a movie about a road. It is a film about the abysses that separate those who share the same land.
A documentary portrait of the pioneering indigenous filmmaker and activist Merata Mita and an intimate tribute from a son about his mother that delves into the life of the first woman from an Indigenous Nation to solely direct a film anywhere in the world. Known as the grandmother of Indigenous cinema, Merata’s independent political documentaries of the 1970s and 80s highlighted injustices for Māori people and often divided the country. Mita was fearless in her life, her activism and her art. Chronicling the director’s journey to decolonize the film and television screens of New Zealand and the world, the film documents her work, her early struggles with her family and her drive for social justice that often proved personally dangerous.
A moving portrait of actress Tantoo Cardinal, travelling through time and across the many roles she’s played, capturing her strength and her impact—and how she shattered the glass ceiling and survived.
The North of Cauca is the region of Colombia most affected by the internal armed conflict since 1940. There is an orchestra of ancestral music composed of young indigenous people of the Nasa ethnic group who, with their instruments, their voice and their poetry, remember Maryi Vanessa Coicue, Sebastian Ul and Ingrid Guejia, three of the hundreds of indigenous children who have died because of this eternal and useless war between leftist guerrillas, armed groups of the extreme right, drug traffickers and the Colombian State.
A Penobscot Nation author grew up in a haunted house. After his mother's death, he returns home to confront the odd occurrences that took place there—from ghost stench and spirit turds to knocking inside walls and a botched exorcism—and wonders why we fear spirits and the afterlife, especially once a loved one passes and all we want is to hear from them again, no matter the form.
Euller Miller is a young native Brazilian of kaiwá ethnicity who leaves his small village just outside of Dourados (MS) to study dentistry at a public university in the crowded capital city of the state of Paraná. The film follows the complex transition between two very different worlds and the search for new horizons without abandoning his indigenous roots.
This documentary started as part of a photography project about the indigenous Ainu population in northern Japan, portraying people from tightly knit communities. They feel deeply connected by their culture and tradition. With gorgeous pictures, the directors explore how different generations of Ainu reflect on their identity after centuries of oppression.
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.
Historical heritage documentary about the disease that, 100 years ago, occurred during and after the Mexican Revolution. This film presents real testimonies of this cruel pandemic in the indigenous peoples of Mexico in the 20th century.
Some people think John Muir was a hero. Others: not so much. The Adventure Brothers hike the famous John Muir Trail (a.k.a. Nüümü Poyo) to investigate the conservationist's controversial legacy.
Dancing Around the Table: Part One provides a fascinating look at the crucial role Indigenous people played in shaping the Canadian Constitution. The 1984 Federal Provincial Conference of First Ministers on Aboriginal Constitutional Matters was a tumultuous and antagonistic process that pitted Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau and the First Ministers—who refused to include Indigenous inherent rights to self-government in the Constitution—against First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders, who would not back down from this historic opportunity to enshrine Indigenous rights. The conference was Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s last constitutional meeting before he resigned and the process was handed over to his successor, Brian Mulroney.
In the Plains Cree language, “pîtoteyihtam” means “one who thinks differently”. Among various indigenous peoples, difference is far from being perceived as a handicap and is rather seen as a strength from which the whole community can benefit. In the era of reconciliation, Indigenous peoples are reclaiming their traditional knowledge and philosophies. Through intimate encounters with several people from the communities of Pessamit (Innu) and Manawan (Atikamekw), the film reveals how neurodiversity is perceived and experienced there, and how we can rethink the accompaniment of these young people by reconnecting with traditional philosophies of First Nations.
The creation of the Xingu Indigenous Park is reassessed by indigenous peoples and anthropologists. Almost 50 years after the initiative, which had the decisive participation of the indigenist brothers Cláudio and Orlando Villas-Bôas, the older indigenous people still have not forgotten the original lands they left behind. Some want to go back to their old origins.
Mayan Renaissance is a feature length film which documents the glory of the ancient Maya civilization, the Spanish conquest in 1519, 500 years of oppression, and the courageous fight of the Maya to reclaim their voice and determine their own future, in Guatemala and throughout Central America. The film stars 1992 Nobel Peace Laureate and Maya Leader Rigoberta Mencu Tum. All of the images, voices, expert commentary and music in the film come directly from Central America, the heart of the Mayan World.