Angela's Shadow screenings and marketplace mark National Indigenous History Month at VIFF Centre, June 20 to 26
Jules Arita Koostachin’s feature, set in the 1930s, centres a young pregnant woman who discovers she is of Cree ancestry
Angela’s Shadow.
VIFF Centre screens Angela’s Shadow from June 20 to 26, with an Indigenous marketplace in the lobby on June 20 at 7 pm
WHEN STIR REVIEWED Cree filmmaker Jules Arita Koostachin’s feature Angela’s Shadow at last year’s Vancouver International Film Festival, we shared that it emphasizes “the unwavering importance of generational resistance”.
VIFF Centre is screening the film again from June 20 to 26 in honour of National Indigenous History Month. Opening night will feature a free Indigenous marketplace in the lobby of the theatre starting at 7 pm, with the movie beginning at 8:15 pm.
At the market, look for Lisa Walker’s beautiful small-batch beaded earrings, Zoe Bradbury’s clay and ceramic works, salves and balms by Alicia Williams, and more. There will be a formal welcome by theatre artist Quelemia Sparrow, plus salmon and bannock bites on deck for snacking. And M’Girl, an ensemble of Indigenous women led by Cree and Saulteaux multidisciplinary artist Renae Morriseau (who also stars in Angela’s Shadow), will play hand-drum music at the event.
Angela’s Shadow tells the story of 1930s Ottawa socialites Henry and Angela, who are expecting a baby. A trip to the northern Cree community of KiiWeeTin to visit Angela’s former childhood nanny Mary leads the pregnant young woman to discover that she is actually of Cree ancestry herself. While Angela is haunted by spiritual whispers and a child’s laughter, her purity-obsessed husband descends into racism-fuelled madness, putting her and the baby at risk.
Sera-Lys McArthur as Angela (left) and Renae Morriseau as Mary in Angela’s Shadow.
There are some alarming scenes in the film—like when Henry goes on a deliriously violent rampage, then tries futilely to cleanse himself of impurities by scrubbing his hands incessantly with water (a nod to the role that religion has played in Canada’s colonial history). But as we wrote here, “Koostachin manages to balance these harrowing moments with levity. Scenes of sun-speckled pollen and the vibrant forests of the Kwantlen and Katzie First Nations are enhanced by soothing birdsong.” That balance was well-received, as Angela’s Shadow took home the Panorama Audience Award at VIFF.
For folks on the Island: Another of Koostachin’s films, NiiMisSak: Sisters in Film, will screen at the Vic Theatre on June 22. The newly premiered documentary unpacks what it takes for Indigenous women to launch their careers in the film industry, featuring conversations with Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin.
National Indigenous Peoples Day is on June 21, and Angela’s Shadow will screen that night at 7:30 pm. The VIFF Centre will show five other titles that tell Indigenous stories the same day, including Damien Eagle Bear’s online-controversy-centred documentary #skoden, Darrell Dennis’s caper comedy The Great Salish Heist and charming love story Sweet Summer Pow Wow, Lyana Patrick’s illuminating Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again, and half-brothers Seth Scriver and Peter Scriver’s wacky animated film Endless Cookie.
If you’re looking for another way to honour the occasion, the City of Vancouver and Carnegie Community Centre will host a public gathering over on the 400-block of Main Street and Hastings Street starting at 12 pm, featuring official welcomes, cultural sharing, and fresh food. A full lineup of live music performances by the likes of Plains Cree hip-hop artist TALON and rock-indie-country outfit Jez Dylan Bonham Band will add to the celebration. 
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