The Weengushk International Film Festival is an Indigenous-run independent film festival in Northern Ontario and the first film festival on Manitoulin Island. Our core philosophy is to present the highest quality films that emphasize Indigenous voices, human rights, social issues, and the environment. Festival programming includes 30+ films, workshops, live music, and opening & closing night galas.
In 2022, the theme for our festival is “Write From the Womb”. We are going to be focusing on showcasing the stories and voices of Indigenous women, including those who identify as LGBTQ2s+. We want to call attention to all of the amazing work done by the Indigenous matriarchs in our community. This theme was developed by WIFF’s Founder and Artistic Director Shirley Cheechoo C.M. Dr. Cheechoo is a prime example of a strong and impactful Indigenous woman, having worked in the community for over 30 years as an award winning artist, actor and filmmaker. We believe that the stories of these women should be brought to the forefront of the arts, as in the past their voices have been silenced and pushed aside.
SAVE THE DATE:
Our 2023 festival will take place from July 14th to 16th 2023!
2022 Honourees
2022 Films In Competition
Bring Her Home
Dir. Leya Hale
Bring Her Home follows three Indigenous women – an artist, an activist, and a politician – as they fight to vindicate and honor their missing and murdered relatives.
Starborn
Dir. Olivia Mater
The fire is stoked, the stars are shining and a voice rises from the flames. It is 50 years in the future. What will a grandmother tell the children about the time of pandemic?
Pōneke
Dir. Ruby Mae Hinepunui Solly, Sebastian J Lowe, Victoria Baskin Coffey
Pōneke is a modern love letter to place, space and time within a post second-migration world.
Runs Through Their Blood: A Life Impacted
Dir. Helen Payette
Documents the effects of intergenerational trauma through the history of residential schools.
R.E.M. Burn
Dir. Bawaandan Collective
Art can be a powerful means of communication. Through creative use of mixed media, film, and stop motion...
I Am The Warrior
Dir. Tara Audibert
A Residential School Story. A mother and daughter Fox have a poor relationship. The daughter wants to right the wrongs the residential schools have committed to make her mother this way.
Gift To Give
Dir. Erica Daniels
A Two-Spirited daughter discovers she is a perfect kidney donor for her ailing father.
In Our Own Hands
Dir. Jennifer Varenchik
A group of women plan rescue efforts when one of their own goes missing from their reservation.
Wildhood
Dir. Bretten Hannam
Two brothers embark on a journey to find their birth mother after their abusive father had lied for years about her whereabouts.
Eastern Khanty: Residents of the Forest
Dir. Anna Koryakovtseva
This film is dedicated to a winter trip to the taiga camps of the eastern Khants.
Being Prepared
Dir. Carol Kunnak
As the global pandemic reaches into the Arctic Archipelago, Inuk filmmaker Carol Kunnuk documents how unfamiliar new protocols affect her family and community.
Night Raiders
Dir. Danis Goulet
In a post-war future, a mother joins an underground band of vigilantes to try and rescue her daughter from a state-run institution.
Slash/Back
Dir. Nyla Innuksuk
When Maika and her ragtag friends discover an alien invasion in their tiny arctic hamlet, it's up to them to save the day.
Kweskosiw (She Whistles)
Dir. Thirzia Cuthand
On the way to her girlfriend's place, an Indigenous woman is assaulted by her cab driver.
Cousins
Dir. Ainsley Gardiner & Briar Grace Smith
Entwines the very different lives of three Maori girls, cousins, through tumultuous decades, after one of them is taken from her family and raised in an orphanage.
Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair
Dir. Alanis Obomsawin
Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair is a Canadian short documentary film, directed by Alanis Obomsawin and released in 2021.
Monkey Beach
Dir. Loretta Todd
A young woman with supernatural abilities reflects on profound events in her life as she awaits news of her brother, who has gone missing at sea under questionable circumstances.
"Weengushk International Film Festival is one of those festivals which actually does what it sets out to do. It reaches out to an Indigenous audience and to local communities and brings talented filmmakers, producers, and professionals together from around the world to engage with the audience and the community.
It is quite impressive. What WIFF does is special and stands out amongst all the other festivals. It is a pleasure to work with and support the festival."
JESSE WENTE | DIRECTOR | INDIGENOUS FILM OFFICE
2022 SUPPORTERS
