Aux confluents de l’Akiawenhrahk
Traverser les saisons : espaces-temps autochtones (Through the Seasons:
Indigenous Spaces and Times)
Film Series, A project by Ahkwayaonhkeh, Cinéma Beaumont, and VU
November 2024 to June 2025
Following the success of the screenings we presented in 2023-2024, and with the arrival of Ariane of Cinéma Beaumont within the alliance, we wanted to continue the joint work we had begun. So our three organizations worked together on a grant application to the City of Quebec to fund a year-long screening cycle, which we envisioned being co-curated by an Indigenous curator and a non-Indigenous curator. Recognizing the importance of discussions following the screenings, we also focused on mediation around each screening, whether through discussions with guests or by creating spaces to reflect on what had been presented.
This project was initiated with Nicolas Renaud, with whom we had worked on the screening event Cinéma autochtone des Amériques (Ajouter lien 103-B_Projection 2…), and with David N. Bernatchez, invited to join in order to build bridges with the Quebec City community. The two curators worked together to select films that were either Indigenous or explored Indigenous-non-Indigenous relations. After the first screening, which led to fruitful discussions in a friendly atmosphere, difficulties were encountered in continuing the project, which had to be reinvented along the way. To learn more about the difficulties we encountered during the alliance project, we invite you to visit the page Nos écueils (Our Pitfalls).
We then transformed our approach to film selection, which was then carried out more internally, with the support of guest collaborators.
This series of screenings was made possible thanks to the support of the Cultural Development Agreement between the Government of Quebec and the City of Quebec.
Une journée dans la vie de Noah Piugattuk de Zacharias Kunuk
Co-curated by David Nadeau-Bernatchez and Nicolas Renaud
Cinéma Beaumont , Méduse, Onyionwentsïio’
November 21, 2024
The first film in Traverser les saisons was a joint proposal by co-curators David Nadeau-Bernatchez and Nicolas Renaud.
“From the far north to the southernmost tip of our continent, relationships with the Earth and the land, with the world of spirits and ancestors, form the basis of Indigenous cultures. What lessons from this heritage can be heard in today's world? What can cinema do to make them tangible? (...) Indigenous territories embody mental spaces. The North depicted in the films of Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk is the flat immensity of a horizon dotted with paths and living environments, it is the blizzard as a remnant of spirits and ancestors.”
– Nicolas Renaud and David N. Bernatchez
This masterful film recounts an event that took place in Baffin Island in 1961. Noah, an Inuk representing his group of fishermen, negotiates at length with a “Boss” delegated by the Canadian government (‘Isumatuk’ in Inuktitut, “the one who thinks for us”). With incredible presence, the film follows the thread of exchanges, silences, and innuendo. The cultural conflict is subtle but central, and the pitfalls of the translator's role are embodied with great finesse. Partly autobiographical for the distinguished director Zacharias Kunuk, the film relies on the highly collaborative performances of the actors and the masterful cinematography of Norman Cohn.
After being introduced to the film by the co-curators and viewing it at the Cinéma Beaumont, we invited the audience to go down one floor to the Ahkwayaonhkeh gallery (surrounded by Martin Akwiranoron Loft's photographs) to give people the opportunity to freely discuss their thoughts and emotions about the screening. In particular, questions about a character's intentions were shared, revealing the potential gaps that can occur between our intentions and the impacts of our words and actions.
Life of Ivanna by Renato Borrayo Serrano
Cinéma Beaumont, Méduse, Onyionwentsïio’
May 22, 2025
For the second screening in the Traverser les saisons (Through the Seasons) series, we invited Wendat filmmaker Neegan Sioui to propose a film.
Ivanna, a young Nenets woman and mother of five living in northern Siberia, decides to take control of her life, break free from an abusive relationship, and abandon the traditional nomadic lifestyle in the tundra to migrate to the city.
“Life of Ivanna was my favorite film at the 2021 Hot Docs festival. I was captivated by its breathtaking dramatization of reality, which made us privileged witnesses to a world that is resisting but threatening to collapse under the influence of modern civilization.”
Bruno Boëz, producer, critic, and programmer
Life of Ivanna
Renato Borrayo Serrano, 2021, 80 min
Russia, Norway, Estonia, Finland
Original Russian and Nenets versions with French subtitles
Programme de courts métrages
Cinéma Beaumont, Méduse, Onyionwentsïio’,
June 26, 2025
Wendake Amphitheater, Onyionwentsïio’,
June 27, 2025
In collaboration with the Wendake Pow Wow
For the third and final screening, we wanted to take advantage of the warm early summer weather to build bridges between our communities and present this film night in Wendake in addition to Cinéma Beaumont. It was a way of making this alliance activity accessible to the Wendat people, directly on their territory. And to enrich the reflections initiated by the films, each screening was followed by a discussion with directors Catherine Boivin, Kijâtai-Alexandra Veillette-Cheezo, Béatrice Noël, and Sabryna Godbout, moderated by Marie-Ève Bradette.
At the Cinéma Beaumont, the evening unfolded in a friendly and intimate atmosphere, enhanced by conversations with the directors. We were able to witness the chemistry between them—and, in a way, feel included in their circle of friends. The discussion provided plenty of food for thought and kind words.
In Wendake, the screening took place outdoors, where the films entered into dialogue with the Pow Wow activities and with the trees dancing in the wind behind the projection screen, adding layers of meaning to the interpretation of the films. The camaraderie between the filmmakers continued, giving rise to exchanges about creativity and shared laughter.
This series of screenings was made possible thanks to the support of the Cultural Development Agreement between the Government of Quebec and the City of Quebec.
Crédit photos
2. Discussions dans la galerie d’Ahkwayaonhkeh après la projection. Photos : Vincent Drouin
3. Jacynthe Carrier et Julia Caron-Guillemette présentent le programme de courts-métrages au cinéma Beaumont. Photo : VU
4. Marie-Ève Bradette échange avec les cinéastes Kijâtai-Alexandra Veillette-Cheezo, Sabryna Godbout, Béatrice Noël et Catherine Boivin. Photo : VU
6. Marie-Ève Bradette échange avec les cinéastes Catherine Boivin, Kijâtai-Alexandra Veillette-Cheezo, Béatrice Noël et Sabryna Godbout. Photo : Derek Gros-Louis