The English-language debut of Telling Our Story, a visually stunning four-part documentary series highlighting 11 different First Nations in Quebec, illuminates the rich Indigenous cultures and stories that exist within the province.
Highlighting the histories, experiences, outlooks, and aspirations of 11 different First Nations, as told through the voices of their community members, this four-part documentary illuminates the rich cultures, the celebrated stories, and the enduring resilience of Indigenous peoples whose homelands now host Canada.
Director Kim O’Bomsawin travelled tens of thousands of kilometres, visiting more than 30 communities to gather the perspectives of Abenaki, Anishinaabe, Atikamekw, Cree of Eeyou Istchee, Innu, Inuit, Mi’kmaq, Kanien’kehá:ka, Naskapi, Huron-Wendat, and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) people. Supported by narration from Kaniyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) actor Kaniehtiio Horn and stunning landscape cinematography, each episode groups these views around a single theme: “Territory,” “Identity,” “Spirituality,” and “Rebuilding.”
O’Bomsawin, herself from the Abenaki Nation, brought in an all-Indigenous crew to give voice to those who are often unheard or unlistened to, offering them an opportunity to share their world views, beliefs, values, and long histories in this place. The series sees each topic unfold in a circular way — the traditional storytelling method of First Peoples — freely navigating the past, present, and future.
Emotional and thought-provoking, Telling Our Story is created for many types of viewer: Indigenous people within the country, colonized people across the world who are now looking to tell their stories, and descendants of the first colonizers who are ready to open the door to a new level of understanding.
KELLY BOUTSALIS
Official Selection, 2023 Toronto International Film Festival