The Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival took place virtually from Sept. 16 to 20.
In its ninth year of programming, the festival continues to support work from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. It highlights artwork that expresses First Nations, Métis, and Inuit traditions.
Howard Adler, one of several festival organizers, said the change was made as a result of safety concerns.
“We started planning the festival before the pandemic, but we didn’t know what the situation would be like in August when our festival was scheduled to happen,” he said. “We decided to push the festival back to September and to do it only online for safety reasons.”
Despite the loss of social engagement that comes with an in-person film festival, participants said they hope the virtual festival could have a positive effect by spreading awareness of Indigenous topics.
Marie-Hélène Cousineau is the co-director of Restless River, a film that tells the story of a young Inuk woman grappling with colonialism in the 1940s. She said the virtual setting could be the key to gaining greater recognition for Indigenous films.
“More people can see [the films] because they are at home, and it’s easier for them,” Cousineau said. “This might bring in a bigger audience.”
Sonia Boileau is the director of Rustic Oracle, a film that tells the story of an eight-year-old Mohawk girl who searches to find her missing sister.
“I’m happy that this particular festival is still being held because it showcases Indigenous content,” Boileau said.
Boileau’s film highlights the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women. She said she believes audiences empathizing with the film will help others to understand the issue’s severity.
“I wanted to make a film that scales it back down to one family and shows that it can happen to anyone,” Boileau added. “My goal was to have people feel empathy for these families and no longer see them as just statistics that keep getting worse.”
Other award-winning directors and films were presented on a variety of topics and genres, such as romantic comedy, sci-fi, drama, and more.
Adler noted the shift online has been positive for the festival.
“We really love the in-person element to the festival and bringing the artists physically together to meet and collaborate, but there are many elements that we really like about doing it online,” Adler said. “We are having an artist from Vancouver and an artist from Montreal perform over live stream, and they don’t have to come to Ottawa or have the huge, expensive cost of travel accommodations.”
As for future events, Adler said that organizers have yet to decide whether all future festivals will remain virtual.
“I think that we will keep some [online] elements for the festival for next year and years to come,” he said. “Hopefully we do move back to an in-person format.”
Featured image from IMDb.
