The connection Indigenous people share with horses is spiritual and incredibly special. Their history is deeply rooted in traditional ways of life. This film offers thrilling portrait of a young Siksika woman and the deep bonds between her father and family in the golden plains of Blackfoot Territory in Alberta as she prepares for one of the most dangerous horse races in the world…on bareback. A sport for the truly brave, Logan Red Crow is an Indian Relay rider who vaults from horse to horse in short, exhilarating races. She is a champion in the making. Besides her skill and sheer grit, Logan has a loving family, an elite group of horses, and a home on her ancestral lands. Those are invaluable, but this rider will need more for victory.
This film offers the dual pleasures of serenity and suspense: lyrical immersion in rural life alternates with thrilling race footage. As she pushes toward her goal, the connections between animal and human, family and community, ancestral tradition and contemporary life are profound and lasting.
Big Sky Documentary (Best Film About the American West)
October 5 & 7: Q&A with director Banchi Hanuse & crew
Presented by
Series Presenter
Series Media Partner
About Relaxed Screenings
The October 8 screening of Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun is a relaxed screening.
Relaxed screenings are open to ANYONE who would benefit from a less restrictive and sensory-friendly experience including (but not limited to) people living with dementia; Autistic people; people with learning difficulties; people with a sensory or communication disorder; parents with young babies; and anyone who feels they would benefit from a more supportive and inclusive experience.
How much are tickets? That’s up to you! Pay what you can for tickets to relaxed screenings. We do not want the cost of tickets to hinder your ability to attend. Click on “Book Tickets” and select the amount ($0, $7, $15, $20) you can pay per ticket.
At a relaxed screening you can expect:
- The lights to be up so it is not too dark
- The film sound levels to be lowered
- No trailers before the film
- Fewer tickets sold so folks can choose where they want to sit
- Audience noise and movement during the show
- Freedom to enter and exit the cinema
- A chill out space
- Sound reduction headphones
- Extra staff and volunteers on site to answer questions
Relaxed Screenings Presented by
Canada
2023
Northern Lights
In English, Siksika, Blackfoot with English subtitles
Violence
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Carey Newman, Izzy Pullen
Producer
Mike Wavrecan
Screenwriter
Banchi Hanuse, Tanya Maryniak
Cinematography
Ben Geisbrecht, Luke Connor
Editor
Tanya Maryniak
Original Music
Jason Burnstick, Nadia Burnstick
Director
Banchi Hanuse
Banchi Hanuse is Nuxalk from Bella Coola, Nuxalkulmc. She is the co-founder and station manager of Nuxalk Radio whose mission is to keep the Nuxalk language alive, assert Nuxalk Nationhood and promote the stewardship and protection of Nuxalk homelands. She has directed the short film Uulx (2015), short docs Cry Rock (2010) and Nuxalk Radio (2020). Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun (2022) is her debut feature length documentary.
Filmography: Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natoshi: Before the Sun (2023)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Two Prosecutors
In the midst of Stalin’s purges, a naïve prosecutor sets out to investigate a prisoner’s innocence, unaware of the labyrinthine bureaucracy awaiting him. A Kafkaesque procedural thriller about the pursuit of justice in the face of corruption.
Image: © SBS Productions
The Blue Trail
77-year-old Tereza makes a break for the Brazilian jungle in this trippy septuagenarian fantasy, the latest from Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro is a quirky picaresque, lushly photographed and filled with mordant humour.
Calle Málaga
Seventy-nine-year-old María Ángeles lives independently in Tangier's Spanish quarter. When her daughter pressures her into selling her apartment, she refuses to give in, finding in her old age a new resilience and an unexpected romantic connection.
El Suavecito
Victor Parra is Roberto, "el Suavecito", the smoothie. Sprinkling his Spanish with slang and English, and sporting a Zoot suit, he's a gangster-wannabe, an obnoxious macho who isn't quite as tough as he likes to make out...
Krystle dos Santos + Dawn Pemberton: Meet Me at Vie's + Union Street
Enjoy a sneak preview of Krystle dos Santos's upcoming musical celebration of the Hogan's Alley Black community in Strathcona, with songs performed by Krystle and Dawn Pemberton, followed by Jamila Pomeroy's documentary Union Street.
