Indigenous Short Film Showcase – FREE

This event is free and an opportunity to watch four incredible short films by Indigenous filmmakers. Stick around after the films for our Indigenous Storytelling in Film panel at 3pm to hear from the directors.

* Content advisory: this is not a child-friendly event. Some shorts have mature content: sexual language, scenes of blood.*

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Slides on the Mountain   PG
Canada, 2023 | Documentary, 29 min | Dir: Seth Gillis

​​Slides on the Mountain follows Talon (17) and Riki (15), two brothers from the Lil’wat Nation, as they decide to ski Ts’zil and set off to learn the skills they need to ride the mountain safely. Their unique personalities shine as we follow them through the winter while their mentors and Lil’wat elders shed light on why it’s so significant for Lil’wat youth to be able to experience the mountains so deeply entrenched in their culture.

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Terror / Forming   14A
Canada, 2022 | Horror, 23 mins | Writer, Director: Rylan Friday
Cast: Josh Dohy, Sasha Mark

Told in one continuous shot over one evening. Parker and his boyfriend Darren make a disturbing discovery on their way to Parker’s late kokum’s cabin, setting the stage for how the night will unfold.

Winner – Best Sci-Fi/Horror Short, 2023 London (UK) Independent Film Festival
Winner – Best BC Film, 2023 Vancouver Horror Show

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Keepers of the Land   G
Canada, 2023 | Documentary, 25 mins | Executive Producer, Co-Producer, Director: Douglas Neasloss

In the heart of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, one Nation is reclaiming the power they held for millennia. As the impacts of colonial exploitation and mismanagement take an increasing toll on their territory, the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation finds strength in its stories and culture, emerging as a stewardship leader in a new age of reconciliation in Canada. A powerful story of resurgence, the weight of hereditary leadership, and the responsibility they carry into the modern world told through the eyes of elder and hereditary chief Nismuutk, Ernest Mason Jr., and the new young leaders following in his footsteps.

Winner – Best Short, 2024 Victoria Film Festival
Winner – Best Short Documentary, 2024 Boulder International Film Festival

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sn̓kłca̓ʔsqáx̌aʔ tkłmílxʷ (Horse Woman)   G
Canada, 2024 | Documentary, 32 mins | Director: Mariel Belanger

Indigenous filmmaker Mariel Belanger recounts the real life events of her teenage daughter, Sienna, who saved three wild horses from the historic White Rock Lake Fire in 2021.