_{The STOODIS
Indigenous Film Festival
May 31-June 6, 2024}

FESTIVAL PASSES HERE                                                                                         SINGLE TICKETS HERE

Inspired by Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond’s entertaining and insightful look at the portrayal of North American Indigenous people throughout a century of cinema in his 2009 documentary, Reel Injun, the STOODIS Film Festival is a celebration of Indigenous-made narrative shorts and features, live artistry, and thought leadership.

In 2023, the STOODIS Indigenous Film Festival debuted at The Civic Theatre, exploring the film industry's "Colonial Gaze" and immersing audiences in authentic Indigenous narratives. Thomas King's words, "The truth about stories, is that's all we are," underscored the festival's emphasis on the profound impact of storytelling, particularly on youth.The festival's design draws inspiration from the Medicine Wheel, a symbol of cultural significance, representing life's various facets for Indigenous communities. STOODIS aims to promote the normalization and celebration of Indigenous presence and perspectives. In the predominantly White rural community in which we live, the festival seeks to cultivate knowledge, support, and humanization of the local Indigenous population, fostering a shared understanding of past, present, and future.In 2024, STOODIS will offer a celebration of diverse and compelling storytelling through film, live performances, and community engagement and conversations. The festival aims to showcase the work of emerging and established Indigenous artists while fostering a sense of community and cultural exchange. This year, STOODIS will spotlight Indigenous resistance, excellence, and resurgence.

Indigenous-led initiatives set with intention and vision with Indigenous perspectives at the centre, as we walk this path of healing together, is a medicine all its own.‍
~ STOODIS Festival Coordinator Lesley Garlow (Haudenosaunee, Cayuga, Turtle Clan)

2024 SUPER-8 FILM CHALLENGE
‍Adjacent to STOODIS is the 2024 Super-8 Film Challenge, a long-standing NCTS program for youth to experience making analog, one-shot films. Youth will be guided through conversations about strength, resilience, and Indigenous futurism, learning about Indigenous narrative and contemporary Indigenous storytelling. Participants will explore examples of local, national and international Indigenous film writers, storytellers, actors, musicians and the history and evolution of Indigenous film. Finally, they will learn how to create an in-camera edited, silent black-and-white film on a Super-8 camera and process their films with a safe, homemade “Caffenol-C” recipe.
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‍PROGRAMMING CALENDAR FOR STOODIS
‍All film events will begin at the following times, but will open with a short film and a positioning conversation hosted by Lesley Garlow, award-winning filmmaker, speaker and hiphop artist James Pakootas, and NCTS Programming Director Jason Asbell, along with other guests. Additional reprise screenings of several of these feature films will also be scheduled over the course of the STOODIS dates.

BARRIER-FREE TICKETING

What does "Barrier-Free Ticketing" mean? It means exactly that.  If you want to see one of the films in the STOODIS Indigenous Film Festival, please come.  As long as we have tickets available, we have a seat for you. You can elect to take your seat for free or pay any amount you wish toward helping NCTS bring these films to Nelson audiences. A number of ticket prices are available on civictheatre.ca, and you can also get your ticket - at any price - at the door.

‍Does that mean I need to pay for my STOODIS ticket? We welcome you to pay with a smile and a high five!  When you arrive, just say you would like a ticket, and we'll let you in, no questions asked!We are also grateful to patrons who choose to pay regular or premium prices for their tickets.

MAKE A GIFT!
‍NCTS is a charity!  Please also consider making a gift to support programming like STOODIS. As a charitable organization, NCTS also welcomes donations. If you love what we do and have it within your means to make a gift to support STOODIS and other community programming like it in the future, please do so here or by clicking on the link below.  NCTS depends on donations for a portion of our operations, and more post-pandemic than ever before.  We are pleased to offer donors a charitable receipt for your gifts.
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SPONSORS and FUNDERS
NCTS is deeply grateful to our partners, funders and sponsors who have made STOODIS possible this year. Thank you so much!‍