The Dreamspeakers Festival Society website states that “When the first Dene filmmaker returned home to Canada’s Northwest Territories, his people had no words for his new art. They call it ‘Dreamtalking’.” The term ‘Dene’ refers to both the native language (also called Athabascan) and also the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Territories in Canada. Dreamspeakers was founded in 1993, and for the last 28 years has highlighted the films and media art of Indigenous artists from nations around the globe.
This year, 35 films comprised mainly of shorts, but also documentaries and features, were hosted virtually between May 31st and June 7th. Here’s a brief look at five shorts, and make sure to check-in with Dreamspeakers to enjoy their other programs throughout the year.
The Midnight Marionette
(3 min, USA, Dir. Joshua Diabo)
A stop-motion animated short that would impress Tim Burton. The story depicts a puppeteer whose marionette puppet comes to life, and they both yearn for the spotlight and adoration. Despite being only a few minutes, the film’s interplay between shadows and perspective, and crisp B&W photography, create an immediately semi-gothic, dreamlike atmosphere, which is also aided by a strong echoing sound design by Adam Nitzberg.
Whiteface
(15 min, Canada, Dir. Everett Sokol)
A satirical stage-to-film adaptation that explores cultural appropriation across time (including in Hollywood), cuisine, art, and social movements. The tagline of the film is “Indigenous actors playing white actors playing Indigenous actors” and the dialogue is similarly fast-flying and witty, efficiently consolidating the original 45 minute play produced and performed by Todd Houseman and Lady Vanessa Cardona into this 15 minute short.
Zombies and Indians
(12 min, Canada, Dir. Keith Lawrence)
In the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, two men, Kirt (Derek Miller) and Will (Howie Miller) stand guard atop a barricade bordering a safe haven. Amidst visions edited together with a fever dream-like quality are swaths of casual banter, all foreboding a spiritual connection, and fear, far beyond the threat of zombie hordes.
Métis Femme Bodies
(6 min, Canada, Dir. Chanelle Lajoie)
Métis is a French term describing Indigenous peoples in Canada that have mixed Indigenous and European ancestry. Sadly and unfairly, Métis voices have been silenced, and their identities persecuted. Métis Femme Bodies explores the Métis experience, featuring many voices over intimate shots of their bodies, head to toes. The result is an empowering, identity recapturing told in a simple and beautiful manner.
Along the Water’s Edge
(3 min, Canada, Dir. Jonathan Elliott)
A poetic call to action beautifully shot and strung together in a flowing montage that incorporates haunting portrayals of a dismal future (the year 2030) if we don’t respect the earth’s most natural abundant resource, water. Along the Water’s Edge also pays respect to and implores spiritual reasoning with Indigenous ancestors to follow the rightful environmental path.
