For his 33e first edition, the international festival Présence Aboriginal shines the spotlight on the work of women from all over the world who have broken the glass ceilings and celebrates their cultures on the Place des Festivals.
“A characteristic of female leaders is that they do not hide their emotions and their fragility. On the contrary, they are able to make it a force in their words and their interventions”, underlines the co-founder of the festival, André Dudemaine.
From August 8 to 17, some fifty films will take festival-goers on a journey not only to Canada, but also to France, Syria, Brazil and Peru. The ball will be launched with, in Montreal premiere, the documentary Twice Colonized, which tells the impressive story of Inuit activist Aaju Peter. We follow the designer and Indigenous rights lawyer for seven years, both in her activism and in her personal life. On August 13, Ellen Gabriel, an activist Mohawk artist, will present her film When the Pine Needles Fallwhich will remind the public that the resistance of the women of Kanesatake started during the crisis of 1990 is not over.
The duo Weather Beings, made up of multidisciplinary artists Moe Clark, a Métis Albertan, and Victoria Hunt, an Australian of Maori origin, will deliver on the Quebecor stage a creation that blends their love of dance and that of the performing arts. The following days will be followed by Soleil Launière, Shawnee Kish, Laura Niquay, as well as a new show entitled powerful womenwhich features women of all generations from the First Peoples of Guyana (Lokono, Teko, Wayãpi, Paykweneh, Wayana and Kali’na) and Canada (Micmacs and Malecites).
The work of Witi Ihimaera, pioneer of Maori literature and guest of honor at the festival, will be presented in five films based on his works, including Whale Rider, directed by Niki Caro, and, for the first time in Montreal, Mahana, by Lee Tamahori. The author will also be present at a literary evening at the McCord Museum on August 11.
They do not hide their emotions and their fragility
Beyond just traditions
The presentations will be interspersed with crafts, drumming, storytelling, traditional dances and archaeological tents to highlight indigenous cultures in their traditions, but also in their contemporaneity. “You have this perfect union between these ancient traditions, but still current, and these avant-garde experiments”, adds André Dudemaine.
Another first: the festival will present a work of virtual reality, This is not a ceremony, at Espace ONF, not far from the Place des Festivals. This cinematic experience by Ahnahktsipiitaa (Colin Van Loon) uses new technologies to immerse the audience in the story of two Indigenous poets.
The musical component of the festival will be animated, among other things, by the Amitié Nuestroamericana show, during which several current composers will create an experimental show that combines traditional instruments from across America and modern musical practices.
The complete festival program is available online.