Canada 2024, 98 min, Dir: Tasha Hubbard
G
After a dark recent history, the buffalo herds of North America are awaiting their return to the Great Plains, aided by dedicated Indigenous activists, leaders and communities, including award-winning Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard (nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up). Together with Blackfoot Elder Leroy Little Bear, Hubbard weaves an intimate story of humanity’s connections to buffalo and eloquently reveals how their return can usher in a new era of sustainability and balance. Richly visualized and deeply uplifting, Singing Back the Buffalo is an epic reimagining of North America through the lens of buffalo consciousness and a potent dream of what is within our grasp.
Sept 14 – Q&A with Kyra Northwest and Bonnie Thompson following the screening
Kyra Northwest is from the Montana First Nation (Akamihk), one of the four Maskwacîs Cree Nations within Treaty Six Territory. She works for her Nation as the Consultation Manager. She has been an Indigenous Committee Member of the Line 3 Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee since its inception and helped draft the Terms of Reference. Kyra is also founding member of the International Buffalo Relations Institute, whose main objective is to promote the implementation of the Buffalo Treaty and to support Indigenous Nations in returning buffalo to the lands to rebuild vital cultural and ecological connections. Her educational background is in Anthropology, and she attended Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, AB. In her downtime, Kyra likes to play sports and is active in hockey and slo-pitch. She also loves to travel and attend concerts.
Bonnie Thompson (Producer) is a veteran and independent Canadian media producer of documentary, animation, and interactive projects. She worked as a producer with the National Film Board of Canada for many years, and now works independently. Her productions have been screened by national and international broadcasters and streamers (CBC, The Doc Channel, SuperChannel, APTN, PBS, NHK, Netflix, Apple), in festivals around the world (TIFF, Hot Docs, IDFA, Berlin, Sundance, Annecy) and on the web, with numerous awards and nominations, including Canadian Screen nominations and awards, an Oscar and Emmy nomination, and Webby awards.
