Liidlii Kue First Nation hosted its fifth annual film festival last week, and organizer Jonathan Antoine believes the event continues to be impactful and enjoyable for all those who attend.
“It’s important to tell stories from an Indigenous perspective, and this film festival does that,” he said midway through the festival. “It showcases Indigenous directors, producers, actors, and their talent, and I think it’s really nice to just get out of the house and go to the film festival and enjoy the popcorn and pop.”
The event ran from Feb. 12-16 on the second floor of the Liidlii Kue First Nation (LKFN) office building. Each night of the film festival cost $10 to attend.
The first night featured nine short films about paddling, which were shown in collaboration with the NWT Recreation and Parks Association. The second night consisted of a screening of Aitamaako’Tamisskapi Natosi: Before The Sun, in partnership with the Yellowknife Film Festival. Night three was the festival’s short film showcase, which included eight projects, and led into a screening of the documentary WaaPaKe on Feb. 15. The event concluded on Feb. 16, with red carpet festivities that included Dene drumming, plenty of good food, and screenings of three films, including one directed by Antoine himself.
Titled Dene on the Land, it details his father Gerald Antoine’s time spent out on the land. The younger Antoine called it “a very personal film,” and said that screening it in his hometown was a source of great satisfaction and excitement.
Antoine’s film was one of seven on the schedule that were put together by people from the NWT. He predicts that people from the territory will soon start making a greater mark in the wider film industry.
“There’s hidden talent out there that’s going to be brought to the forefront, and we just haven’t seen it yet,” he said. “I’m keeping an ear out for the next big Indigenous directors and producers.
“It’s going to happen really soon and I’m here to showcase it.”
He also suspects that the NWT could eventually become a popular mainstream filming location due to the range of natural landscapes it offers.
“Everybody is going to start to realize the Northwest Territories is a very beautiful shooting location,” he said.
“The Northwest Territories has vast landscapes that could portray a lot of areas, like how British Columbia has, and Alberta too.”
Antoine will soon begin planning for the 2025 event, and has no plans to slow down beyond that.
“I’m going to keep on doing it for as long as I can,” he said.
However, he hopes that LKFN or someone in Fort Simpson will someday open a movie theatre, which would make his festival an even greater success.
“That would be a dream,” he said.