First People's Festival Montreal Indigenous 2021

Atikamekw Meskano

Film

Montreal’s First Peoples Festival focuses on international Indigenous cinema

by Lorraine Carpenter

Local and global stories of struggle and inspiration, with live music and art, Aug. 3–11.

The First Peoples Festival is getting underway on Tuesday, screening more than 60 feature films, short films and documentaries in Montreal cinemas and outdoor spaces. The nine-day festival, also known as Présence Autochtone, also promises live music by acts including Buffalo Hat Singers, Twin Flames and Samian, art events and a prize component.

Among the films are A Febre (The Fever), a co-presentation of Festival du Nouveau Cinéma by Brazilian filmmaker Maya Da-Rin; Ashes and Embers, a documentary about a residential school that was burned to the ground in 1948; Hélène Collin’s documentary Atikamekw Meskano, about contemporary Atikamekw children and white teachers; and Listening to the Wisdom of Niokominanak, exploring the mentoring of younger women by Quebec’s Indigenous elders in meetings organized by the Quebec Native Women’s Association.

The First Peoples Festival in Montreal focuses on international Indigenous cinema
In Montreal festival style, Présence Autochtone also features live music and art

For the complete First Peoples Festival program and to buy tickets/reserve spots, please visit the Presence Autochtone website.

For more film and TV coverage, please visit the Film & TV section.

Posted in Film

by Lorraine Carpenter

Editor in chief
Lorraine Carpenter was born in Montreal and studied communications and journalism at Concordia. She co-founded Cult MTL in 2012 following 12 years at the now-defunct Montreal alt weekly the Mirror, where she worked in editorial as copy editor and music editor. She’s dedicated to supporting the cultural scene in Montreal.