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By Windspeaker.com Staff
With files by Jeremy Harpe of CFWE-FM
Connor McNally, a Métis filmmaker, will present his film “ōtēnaw” at Dreamspeakers Indigenous Film Festival on Friday, Sept. 22 in Edmonton. ōtēnaw is a Cree word that means city.
McNally was interviewed by Jeremy Harpe of CFWE-FM, a sponsor of Dreamspeakers, about his film, which runs 40 minutes.
“I like to call it an experimental documentary,” said McNally. “I follow a Cree educator from the U of A who does a de-colonial walking tour in the River Valley. I was inspired by it simply because I went on one of his walks, and I was like ‘Hey, getting to hear this history and these stories on the land as opposed to in a classroom or a book is a special thing’.”
McNally said the film will give viewers a better understanding of the place they live in and will help people get along better with one another.
“Knowing about the history of Edmonton, specifically, and for instance Papaschase displacement, all the scrip speculation that went on with Richard Secord and so on. Those kinds of things are really important because it helps people understand the now. If you can understand the past a little bit more, I think it helps open up dialogue for people today.”
Born into the arts from the inspiration of his father, a professional actor, McNally has always dabbled in theatre and film.
Coming up, the film is set to screen in Winnipeg and also at ImagiNative in Toronto Oct. 18 to 22.
Dreamspeakers runs through the weekend with some great and important films, including Once Were Warriors, an iconic film with a deep subject matter, said McNally.
Dreamspeakers is a good place to come to watch movies that people won’t see in the theatres, he said.
“I like the idea of bringing people together to watch movies,” said McNally.
Visit the Dreamspeakers’ website for more information at http://dreamspeakers.org/