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2021 Festival Poster

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IN-PERSON EVENTS

Opening Night is FREE or by donation. All other events are $10 or PWYC.  No tickets or registration required to attend in-person events, pay at the door only.  Please note there is limited capacity and seating available, so arrive early to avoid disappointment. 


Protocols:

  • Masks must be worn indoors, and outdoors when not seated
  • Please maintain social distancing with those outside your household
  • Please do not attend if you’ve been experiencing, or have been in contact with someone with COVID symptoms


- Schedule - 


Wed. Sept. 15, 2021

Opening Night Welcome & Outdoor Film Screening

RAMBLIN'

Director: Christopher Marshall (Muscogee Creek) • USA • 2020 • 1 hour • English 

+ Skype Q&A with the Director!

+ Performances by Elaine & Theland Kicknosaway


6pm - 10pm

Club SAW, 67 Nicholas St.

Thurs. Sept. 16, 2021

Film Screening

Changing Worlds: Shorts Program 

+ Home From School: The Children of Carlisle*

+ DJ Glory Hull (aka Rodrigo Medrano)

Doors: 6:30pm Show Times: 7:30pm & 9pm

The Ottawa Art Gallery, 2 Daly Ave.


Fri. Sept. 17, 2021

Art Opening + Outdoor Film Screening

Voices of Chief's Point Exhibition *

* Walkthrough with Curator Bimadoshka (Annya) Pucan

+ Femme Bodies: Shorts

5pm - 10pm Walkthrough: 6pm Screening: 7:30pm

Gallery 101, 280 Catherine St.


Sat. Sept. 18, 2021

Pop-Up at La Villa

Food - NDN Tacos & Pupusas

Comedy - "Got Land?" Comedians

Film - Land Back: Short Docs

Music - JUFC-AN + Cody Coyote

Doors: 5:30pm Show Time: 7:30pm

La villa Latina (Back Patio) 85 Montréal Rd.


Sun. Sept. 19, 2021

Closing Night Film Screening

Abducted

+ Q&A with the Director and Producer!

+ DJ Jas Nasty

Doors: 6:30pm Show Time: 7:30pm

The Ottawa Art Gallery, 2 Daly Ave.

2021 Online film Schedule

WEDNESDAY - SEPT 15

WEDNESDAY - SEPT 15

WEDNESDAY - SEPT 15

Ramblin'


Kinships: Dramatic Shorts


Mâmawi Nikamowak: Bawaadan Collective Shorts

THURSDAY - SEPT 16

WEDNESDAY - SEPT 15

WEDNESDAY - SEPT 15

Roots: Animated Shorts


Changing Worlds: Shorts


Games and Rain: Two Docs

FRIDAY - SEPT 17

WEDNESDAY - SEPT 15

SATURDAY - SEPT 18

Portraits: Short Docs


Femme Bodies: Shorts


Not Monsters: Experimental Shorts

SATURDAY - SEPT 18

SATURDAY - SEPT 18

SATURDAY - SEPT 18

Miijim: Documentaries about Indigenous Foods


Displacement and Resistance: Docs


Land Back: Short Docs

SUNDAY - SEPT 19

SATURDAY - SEPT 18

SUNDAY - SEPT 19

Abducted


Tupaia's Endeavour  & The Pakohe Trail 


Home From School

Films - 2021 Festival

Films - 2021 Festival (pdf)Download

Opening Night Welcome & Outdoor Film Screening

Photo: 2019 Asinabka Festival Opening

Ramblin'

Director - Christopher Marshall (Muscogee Creek)

Producer - Taylor Haynes (Cherokee) 

Key Cast - Carol Redwing (Yankton Sioux) "McKenzie Jacobs"

Key Cast - Lovejoy Brown (Omaha) "Gwendolyn Pierce "


USA • 2020 • 1 hour • English 


*Skype Q&A w/ Director and Producer following the Screening!


Gwendolyn Pierce and McKenzie Jacobs were always inseparable. That is until college and adulting stood in the way. After a year apart and unforeseen circumstances, the two girls reconvene to journey back home. Along the way, Gwen and McKenzie are forced to face their pasts and rebuild the friendship and trust they once had.

Music & Performance

Chris Rockwell

Theland Kicknosway

Theland Kicknosway

Chris Rockwell is James Bay Cree and previously was resident DJ in rooms from Ottawa to Vancouver. Original crew for the early Electric PowWow events before relocating to the West Coast. Once there, he found himself performing at cocktail competitions, launch events for automobiles, and wrap parties for film productions on top of three or four residencies each week. With a knack for playing your auntie's favorite song, it would be a challenge to limit a playlist description to any one style.


Theland Kicknosway

Theland Kicknosway

Theland Kicknosway

Theland Kicknosway is an Indigenous youth who uses his voice to spread his message and showcase Indigenous culture. He is wolf clan from the Potawatomi and Cree Nation and is a member of Walpole Island, Bkejwanong Territory.  Theland has been a fixture in the Indigenous community as a traditional singer, drummer, dancer, activist & influencer. In 2018, Theland became the youngest Indspire Laureate named for Culture, Heritage and Spirituality. His path-breaking efforts have also been mentioned in Teen Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, and Complex. In his 18th year in the Physical World, Theland continues to shine. 

Elaine Kicknosway

Theland Kicknosway

Elaine Kicknosway

Elaine Kicknosway is proud to be Swampy Cree through her biological mother and Chippewa from her biological father’s side. She is a member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Northern Saskatchewan, and is Wolf Clan. She is a Sixties Scoop Survivor and returned home in late 20’s. She has been long time community advocate in the areas of child welfare, MMIW2SG, healthy families, and Indigenous women . Elaine is an Indigenous trauma informed Counsellor/ an Ontario wedding officiant, KAIROS Blanket exercise facilitator and trainer, Indigenous full spectrum doula with Aunties On The Road , a Death Doula with Blackbird Medicines,  Traditional dancer, singer, drummer and carrier of ceremonial teachings.

Land Back Pop-Up Event @ La Villa

Saturday. Sept. 18, 2021, 5:30pm to late


La villa Latina (Back Patio) 

85 Montréal Rd.


$10 or PWYC


SCHEDULE

Doors - 5:30pm

Ndn Tacos - 5:30 to 7:30pm

Pupusas - 5:30 to 9:00pm

Got Land Comedy - 6:30pm

Land Back Film Screening - 7:30pm

Live Music - 9:00 to 11:00pm

Got Land? Comedians

Got Land? Comedy Group

Got Land? Comedy Group

Got Land? Comedy Group

Got Land? Comedy is a stand-up comedy variety show, where First Nation, Inuk and Metis entertainers tell jokes and share individual life stories.


Got Land? is a full-indigenous comedy show supporting all comedy genres. Expressing solidarity with humour, we strive to travel across Canada and bring our bannock butts and belly laughs to you!


A

Got Land? Comedy is a stand-up comedy variety show, where First Nation, Inuk and Metis entertainers tell jokes and share individual life stories.


Got Land? is a full-indigenous comedy show supporting all comedy genres. Expressing solidarity with humour, we strive to travel across Canada and bring our bannock butts and belly laughs to you!


Asinabka Festival is honoured and excited to have legends of Indigenous comedy Janelle Niles and Randy Schmucker grace the stage at our Pop-up event at La Villa restaurant!

Janelle Niles

Got Land? Comedy Group

Got Land? Comedy Group

Janelle launched her comedy career in January 2019 and started producing soon after. Exploding in the Ottawa comedy scene with her shows Comedy at Eddy’s and GOT LAND?, an indigenous comedy show, Janelle aims to communicate cultural concerns in the indigenous community through laughter.

Her dream is to perform on the Just for Laughs stage 

Janelle launched her comedy career in January 2019 and started producing soon after. Exploding in the Ottawa comedy scene with her shows Comedy at Eddy’s and GOT LAND?, an indigenous comedy show, Janelle aims to communicate cultural concerns in the indigenous community through laughter.

Her dream is to perform on the Just for Laughs stage in Montreal at Théâtre St-Denis. Janelle incorporates all genres of comedy into Got Land? to improve the growth of indigenous entertainment in comedy. She additionally runs an independent comedy show for amateur comedians in the nation’s capital for all aspiring comedians.


Find Janelle on Instagram

@janelle.niles

Randy Schmucker

Got Land? Comedy Group

Randy Schmucker

Randy (he/him) is a comic, artist, and performer residing in the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinabek (also known as Ottawa). Randy brings a unique point of view that plays on his experiences as a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, as well as his mixed background of both Anishinaabe and European ancestry. Randy 

Randy (he/him) is a comic, artist, and performer residing in the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinabek (also known as Ottawa). Randy brings a unique point of view that plays on his experiences as a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, as well as his mixed background of both Anishinaabe and European ancestry. Randy began his comedic career in 2019 with the first ever iteration of the Indigenous comics show: Got Land? and the Fresh Meat Festival. Randy finds comedy as a source to bring people together, relate to one another, and to justify his flamboyant and (sometimes very) meta sense of humour.

Find Randy on Instagram @randyisonline

Live Music

Cody Coyote

Cody Coyote was born on April 17th, 1992, raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and is of Ojibwe/Irish descent with ancestry from Matachewan First Nation. With his fusion of strong, profound lyricism accompanied by corresponding influential sounds, this multi-award nominated and award winning Hip-Hop/Electronic artist grasps his listeners attention and delivers a mesmerizing performance. Outside of music, Cody Coyote is also a motivational speaker, workshop facilitator and is the host of “The Beat” on elmnt fm. 


Listen:

https://codycoyotemusic.com/music

Voices of Chief’s Point


Vernissage: Friday Sept. 17, 2021, 5-10pm

(Curator Walkthrough @ 6pm)


Guest Curator: Bimadoshka (Annya) Pucan


Location: Gallery 101, 280 Catherine St.


* * * 

Exhibition Dates: Sept. 8 to Oct. 2, 2021


Gallery Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 1-5 PM
Thursday 1:30-5PM

Video Walkthrough at Gallery 101

Pe-Wak-A-Nep (Robert Thompson) and Dr Seaborn c 1939. Photo: Robert Thompson and Edwin Seaborn, Seaborn Fonds, Western Archives, Western University, London, Canada.

VOICES OF CHIEF’S POINT

“Anishinaabe people are resilient. They are strong. They’re adaptable. They’re industrious. And they know how to think for themselves.” 


– Bimadoshka Pucan, Guest Curator, Voice of Chief’s Point



In 1938, Robert and Eliza Thompson, residents of the Saugeen First Nation, shared Anishinaabeg songs and stories with Dr. Edwin Seaborn. This oral history, given in Anishinaabemowin and English, was recorded onto wax cylinders and discs which were donated to the Museum in 1975. They remained in storage until 2011, when Ph.D. candidate and Saugeen First Nation Member, Bimadoshka (Annya) Pucan, came across them in her research. Pucan’s rediscovery of these artifacts and the history they represent, was the starting point of this exhibition that considers the multiple meanings from the point of view of Anishinaabe community members. Recently digitized, these songs and stories are featured throughout the exhibition.


Anishinaabe culture is passed down from generation to generation using songs and stories. The traumas caused by residential schools and the 1876 Indian Act created a void in this intergenerational communication. The resulting loss of culture has had multiple negative consequences on Anishinaabeg individuals and communities. Pucan recognized the importance of retrieving the information from these cylinders and discs and now, decades later, Robert and Eliza Thompson’s voices are helping to fill these gaps. Their stories and songs now contribute to the ongoing cultural revival of the Saugeen First Nation.


The exhibition introduces many, both past and present, involved in this project: Robert and Eliza Thompson; Dr. Edwin Seaborn; Bimadoshka (Annya) Pucan (the exhibition’s curator); and Saugeen First Nation Elders and Traditional Teachers, who were pivotal in interpreting the songs and stories. Also revealed is the technology used to make the original recordings and that used to digitize them.

Dr. Bimadoshka Pucan is Anishinaabe from Saugeen First Nation on the shores of the bountiful Lake Huron.  Dr. Pucan is an Anthropologist (UWO'19) with a background in health. She is the mother of three handsome sons, Oakland, Jackson, and Walker. An Assistant Professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. Dr. Pucan is honoured to teach in First Peoples Studies and History and her research is housed at the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling (COHDS). 

NCFD 2021 - Online Watch Party

April 21, 2021

Now in its eighth year, National Canadian Film Day (NCFD) is an annual celebration of Canadian Film with hundreds of screenings taking place.  This year, NCFD will be happening online on April 21, 2021.


Asinabka Festival will be participating with a screening of the film "The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open" by Directors Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi).   


--> The film will be available for 48 hours starting on Wednesday April 21, 2021, at 12:01 AM.  No registration required!

The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open

Directors Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers

Two Indigenous women from vastly different backgrounds find their worlds colliding on an East Vancouver sidewalk when domestic violence forces one of them, a pregnant teen named Rosie (Violet Nelson), to flee her home.   


Àila (Tailfeathers) swiftly offers her shelter, and as their intimate yet challenging encounter develops, the women weave a fragile bond, and must face their own unique struggles with the complexities of motherhood, class, and colonialism.

Starring: Violet Nelson (Kwakwakaʼwakw), Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi) | Eng. | 105m | PG

Q&A

Q&A with directors Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn. Moderated by Howard Adler, Co-Director of the Asinabka Festival.


--> Q&A Goes live April 21.

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