Joanne Robertson

Family members struggle to heal their emotional wounds after an incident of sexual abuse.

For three teenage girls growing up in Kahnawake — and indeed, all teenagers on the reserve — life can be quite confusing. If they want to move away to pursue new experiences — perhaps in nearby Montreal — they risk losing credibility, or worse yet, their rights as Mohawk women. Of course, if they stay, their opportunities in the tiny community are limited. With insight, humour and heart, director Tracey Deer (who left Kahnawake to attend school and pursue filmmaking) returns to her community to follow these Mohawk girls and tell their stories. Her deeply emotional documentary reveals the complex hope, heartache and promise of growing up Indigenous in the 21st century.

A feature documentary that traces the storied journey of Indigenous masks from the far reaches of Turtle Island into the hands of European Surrealists, influencing the work and worldview of artists and writers like Max Ernst, André Breton, Roberto Matta and Joan Miró – all while following the dramatic quest to return a mask that was brutally stolen from the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw people on Canada’s northwest coast over a century ago. Part caper, part road trip, part spiritual journey, the film follows Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond (Reel Injun) as he travels coast-to-coast and across the Atlantic and back, gradually piecing together this global story of influence, reconnection and restitution.

Director Sylvia Hamilton reflects on her work with the NFBs Atlantic Studio and the birth of New Initiatives in Film - A Studio D initiative for women of colour and aboriginal women.

Director and writer Carol Geddes reflects on telling stories from an aboriginal perspective as a filmmaker in the NFBs North West studio.

Dorothy Todd Hénaut describes her arrival at the NFB and her work on the groundbreaking Challenge For Change community filmmaking program.

Director and editor Anne Wheeler reflects on her early documentaries with the NFB, the birth of the North West and Prairie Studios and working with Donald Sutherland.

Animation pioneer Evelyn Lambart recalls arriving at the NFB in the 1940s, her celebrated collaborations with Norman McLaren and her approach to her solo work.

Bonnie Sherr-Klein recalls the early days of Studio D, the women's studio, and the birth of the seminal film Not a Love Story which she co-directed.

Alanis Obomsawin talks about how she got her start at the NFB and the overarching importance of sound/story in her work.

Gudrun Bjerring Parker talks about directing documentaries at the NFB in the 1940s. Parker was one of the first women directors at NFB.

Evelyn Spice Cherry talks about directing documentaries at the NFB during the Second World War. Cherry was one of the first women directors at NFB.