This short 16mm film is a whimsical interaction with the elements in nature. Triumph, was inspired by my son who loves to ride his bike in giant puddles of water. When he was younger, his training wheels would often get stuck in ruts on the uneven road. He had a tendency to become overwhelmed by this apparent entrapment, however, once he realized that the water behind his back wheel would splash if peddled continuously in his stationary position it became a magical moment. To recreate the joy and feeling of my son I invited residents of Sackville, NB to join me in my backyard to act out a specific scenario. I set up two stationary bikes and a stationary running machine in the stream behind my home and the participants did a simulated race through the stream and up the hill. We filmed this stationary race which produced a piece that captured the joy of participants and the interaction of nature and movement.
Super8 Film, 3:20
Performance by Navarana Igloliorte
Directed by Navarana Igloliorte
Filmed by Linda Dornan
Photography by Mark Igloliorte
Costumes by Sue Rose
Music by Bonjay, Stumble
Made in support of Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre
This Super 8 film was made when my children were young and it was my reaction to the monotony and relentless amount of housework.
A short film exploring sadness, grief and and prayer for young people I had worked with and friends during my youth who had taken their lives.
Auass En Muk is a story told by Etien Pone passed down through generations, filmed and acted by a grade 9 class at the Sheshatshiu Innu School in Labrador. The story begins with two boys playing together, forming geese out of snow. The boy who always carries his bow, shoots arrows at them, breaking them apart. The other youth becomes frustrated and asks why he is doing this. The other retorted that he will do this to his father’s geese. Tensions escalate when the boy tells his father what his friend said. The story seamlessly weaves the familiar with the supernatural. Fundamental themes are masterfully revealed such as how reacting in anger and not seeking dialogue can be fatal.
In this film, Innu elder Mani Katnen Nuna shares an ancient legend of the wolverine and the loon to a few Sheshatshiu community members in a woodstove heated Labrador tent. As the story begins, the youth begin to take on the roles of animals in the story. Set amidst the snowy landscape, these youth depict the story of how Wolverine's trickster ways forever transformed the Loon into the bird that we know today.
http://sheshatshiuvideoproject.blogspot.ca
As part of an initiative to provide creative means by which young people in the community can reconnect with their Elders, I was hired by the Department of Social Health of the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation to lead a video project working with youth in the community. Working with Ben Penashue and Edward Nuna we filmed twelve Elders recounting their stories and traditions. So far a handful of the hours long interviews have been translated into English. Innu Aimun is changing rapidly, it is imperative to get these interviews translated over the next few years. With these stories documented on video at least, the knowledge and history is captured for future generations to benefit from and take pride in the knowledge of their Elders.
Elders who were interviewed in 2012
Pien Penashue
Lisette Penashue
Penote Antuan
Tshaukuesh Penashue
Francis Penashue
Dominic Pokue
Tishtu Pokue
Anamani Penashue
Naissa Penashue
Tony Penashue
Mary Madeline Nuna
Katheleen Nuna
Free My Spirit is a feature length documentary produced by the Nunatsiavut Government, Department of Health and Social Development.
Stories are shared of the summer on the land before massive transitions came to the northern coastal community of Hopedale, Labrador. These changes have generated lasting impacts in which many young people of today are having to contend with.
This documentary tells the powerful story of people who are ending the cycle of alcohol abuse and re-finding their roots; gaining strength through reconnection and healing on the land, and service to young people in their community. As the youth and the adults work together to build on their strengths and capacities, they overcome obstacles and make a true and lasting difference in their community.
To order a DVD copy of this DVD:
Michelle Kinney
709-896-9750
Department of Health and Social Development
Happy Valley - Goose Bay, NFLD A0P 1C0
Courage to Remember
Stories of our Labrador Residential Experience, 2010
This documentary captures the personal stories of fifteen individuals as they reflect on their childhood experiences of residential school. Courage to Remember shows the multigenerational impacts of residential schools on the Inuit of Labrador. It incorporates archival footage of the Moravian and Grenfell missionaries interwoven with present day testimonies, following the group as they gather strength in their lives, from berry picking on the Big Island, to square dancing, and watching Inuit games played by the youth at the local gymnasium. The film is a poetic testimony to the personal impacts of being removed from ones home and isolated in the residential school system.
To receive a DVD copy of this DVD:
Michelle Kinney
709-896-9750
Department of Health and Social Development
Happy Valley - Goose Bay, NFLD A0P 1C0
Tshuakuesh Penashue, an elder from Sheshatshiu, Labrador used to lead an annual snowshoe trek every Spring for a few weeks. I was able to go on the Meshkanu in 2005 and 2015. I took photos and videos for the family and community because I could see how important her work was and need to be documented.
Read Tshaukuesh's blog. http://elizabethpenashue.blogspot.ca
