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Indigenous Films and Filmmakers

Featured Indigenous Filmmakers

There are some incredible Indigenous directors, writers, and filmmakers currently working to create truly transformative new media. Some of our favourites include:

Finding Films by Indigenous Filmmakers

Search for Indigenous filmmakers or their films in the UBC Library Catalogue

To find a specific film you would like to view, enter title keywords or phrases AND video?Image Source: SkyPaxPictures

Example:
wabanaki AND video?
"writing the land" AND video?

To find a director's films held at UBC Library, enter the director's name AND Video?

Example:
Obomsawin AND video?

Search for Indigenous filmmakers or their films in Summon

Enter keyword(s) combining the director's last name AND words from the title.

Example:
Search: Jackson AND "residential school"
Select Content Type: Video Recording (You may need to select "More" for video recording as an option. If so, check the "Include" box in front of "Video Recording")

Exploring the World of Indigenous Filmmaking

If you do not have a particular film or filmmaker in mind, but are interested in Indigenous filmmaking, one way to get started is to look for books, articles, and other resources about Indigenous films and filmmakers. Check out the examples below, or see the Books & Media tab in this research guide for more ideas.

Featured Article

A conversation with Lisa Jackson, Helen Haig Brown and Elle-Máijá Apiniskim Tailfeathers, with some thoughts to frame the conversation.
Elle-Máijá Apiniskim Tailfeathers (2016). Biography, 39(3).   

This article presents a conversation between three Indigenous filmmakers, Elle-Máijá Apiniskim Tailfeathers (Blackfoot, Sámi), Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe), and Helen Haig-Brown (Tsilhqot’in), along with a preamble and concluding thoughts from Tailfeathers. In the conversation, the filmmakers discuss the process and motivations of and responses to their (auto)biographical films, BihttošSuckerfishSu Naa, and My Legacy.

Read the article through the UBC Library here.