Synopsis
Lana Gets Her Talk (Documentary/37 minutes)
An observation of Cree artist Lana Whiskeyjack as she works to complete a mixed-media sculpture of a tortured face, the face of her uncle. Lana calls the piece “Lost My Talk”. This brief study of an artist and her work helps us come to some understanding of the trauma experienced by Canada’s Indigenous people in the Indian Residential School system, of its enduring effects on the children of survivors of the IRS, and of one woman’s journey to recover what was lost: dignity, identity, and voice. A story of resilience, Lana’s journey speaks of the power of Indigenous “ways of being” in our time.
Lana recouvre sa langue (Film documentaire /37 minutes)
On observe l’artiste autochtone Lana Whiskeyjack au travail : elle complète une sculpture multimédia d’un visage torturé, celui de son oncle (panneau central du triptyque). Lana intitule cette pièce, Lost My Talk/Langue perdue. Cette étude d’une artiste, bien que brève, nous aide à comprendre, au moins un peu, les événements traumatisants vécus par les peuples autochtones du Canada au sein du système des pensionnats indiens, et les séquelles qui perdurent chez les enfants des survivants. Nous constatons également du parcours d’une femme pour recouvrer ce qui a été perdu : la dignité, l’identité et la voix. C’est un récit de résilience; le parcours de Lana témoigne de la force actuelle de la «façon d’être des Autochtones».
See also: Pîkiskwe-speak Virtual Art and Film Installation: An Invitation to Conversations in Reconciliation, featuring Lost My Talk and other artwork by Lana Whiskeyjack and the documentary, Lana Gets Her Talk.
FESTIVAL SCREENINGS: FAVA FEST 2017 (Edmonton, AB)/Award of Excellence; Female Eye Film Fest 2017 (Toronto, ON)/Nominee: Best Doc Short; South Coast Jazz Festival 2017 (Port Dover, ON); United Nations Association Film Fest 2017 (Stanford, CA, USA); Marda Loop Justice Film Fest 2018 (Calgary, AB); Yellowknife International Film Fest 2018 (Yellowknife, NWT); Edmonton Short Film Festival 2020 (Edmonton, AB); Broad View International Film Festival 2022 (Edmonton, AB).
CONFERENCE & COMMUNITY SCREENINGS: Cinema Politica (Montreal, QC): Indigenous Thought Conference 2017 @ Blue Quills First Nations University (St. Paul, AB); Humanities & Social Sciences CONGRESS 2018 (Regina, SK); North American Interfaith Network Conference 2018 (Edmonton, AB); National Aboriginal Day Conference 2018 (Red Deer, AB); Parliament of the World’s Religions Conference 2018 (Toronto, ON); Alberta Culture Days 2020 (Cochrane, AB); Humanities & Social Sciences CONGRESS 2021 (Edmonton, AB).
Part of the Pan-Canadian 2017-2019 touring Art and Film Installation pîkiskwe-speak: An Invitation to Conversations in Reconciliation, a collaborative project with Indigenous artist Lana Whiskeyjack funded by the 2017 Canada Council for the Arts NEW CHAPTER Initiative in commemoration of Canada’s 150th Anniversary.
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