A monthly celebration of Indigenous culture, film and art is coming to the Vernon Towne Theatre starting Tuesday.
“This Indigenous Showcase gives local Indigenous businesses the opportunity to have a platform to tell their stories,” said Angela Case, Indigenous Showcase organizer.
“They need more opportunities to amplify their stories.”
The Indigenous Showcase starts off strong on Aug. 2, bringing Indigenous artists, and creators to the lobby of the Vernon Towne Theatre ahead of a screening of the Inuit film The Grizzlies as well as a first screening of the film Kiri and the Girl from Moonchildren Productions. The film is based on producer Kiri Geen’s childhood.
“Kiri and the Girl is a fairy tale that we wrote based on Kiri’s experiences growing up,” said Christopher Logan, screenwriter and co-producer.
“She would tell me a lot of stories about how she reconnected to her culture after her adoption, and every time she discovered something about herself and about her past, she would feel so connected to it and her eyes would widen like a six-year-old girl. So, we ended up weaving these stories into a fairy tale about a six-year-old girl experiencing the same things.”
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In the film, the character Kiri visits a powwow with her dad and aunt, then ventures into the forest where she meets some unique powwow dancers.
“She runs into all these powwow dancers, one turns into a hummingbird, one into a horse and one into a wolf,” said Kiri Geen, Kiri and the Girl producer.
“And she runs into her mother who turns into a raven and turns into her mother as a spirit and they dance together and that’s when she starts to go back to her culture and ceremony and makes a powwow outfit and that’s where she really starts to heal.”
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Events like this are meant to connect the community and put Indigenous talent in the spotlight
“It’s not just about telling Indigenous stories for Indigenous people but it’s also those stories are important for non-Indigenous people to hear as well because there’s a lot of truth and history involved,” said Cody Isaac, Okanagan Indian Band member.
The first Indigenous Showcase event will take place on Aug. 2 and will continue on the first Tuesday of every month. For a full schedule and ticket information visit thetowne.ca