In the continuing journey TOWARDS TRUTH the Rotary Club of Guelph and the Bookshelf
honour Indigenous month with 4 Indigenous films. Do not miss this opportunity to explore the
Indigenous culture and unique challenges they face. Reconciliation comes after the Truth is
learned.

 

Twice Colonized - June 6,7, 7:00pm
Tickets available HERE through the Bookshelf

 

 

Aaju Peter is a force of nature. Upon the sudden and tragic death of her son, this fierce
protector of her ancestral lands and renowned Greenlandic Inuk lawyer and activist embarks on
a journey to bring her colonizing countries, Canada and Denmark, to justice, and to reclaim her
language and culture. In her efforts to establish an Indigenous forum at the European Union,
she must first confront the wounds inflicted upon her by colonization and navigate through
existing white dominance. Finding strength within her own vulnerabilities, Aaju rises from the
devastation of colonialism to unite Indigenous activists in the North in her fight for future
generations. While director Lin Alluna approaches the story with a deeply sensitive lens, Aaju
maintains powerful agency over her own story. In a film that unites Greenland, Denmark and
Canada as production countries, Twice Colonized becomes a powerful catalyst for future
conversations around colonization and filmmaking." - Heather Haynes, HotDocs 2023.

 

Tickets available HERE through the Bookshelf

 

 

Falls Around Her is a 2018 Canadian drama film, written, produced, and directed by Darlene
Naponse. [1]  The film stars  Tantoo Cardinal  as Mary Birchbark, an internationally famous First
Nations musician who returns to her home community to recharge and reevaluate her life, only
to find that her fame is not so easily left behind. [1]
The cast also includes Tina Keeper, Gail Maurice, Johnny Issaluk and J.D. Nicholsen. [1]  The film
was shot on the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation reserve near Sudbury, Ontario.

 

Bones of Crows - June 16-21, times TBA
Tickets available HERE through the Bookshelf

 

Bones of Crows is a multi-generational epic and story of resilience told through the eyes of Cree
Matriarch Aline Spears (played throughout her life by Summer Testawich; Grace Dove, Monkey Beach;
and Carla Rae, Rutherford Falls). Removed from their family home and forced into Canada’s residential
school system, young musical prodigy Aline and her siblings are plunged into a struggle for survival. Over
the next hundred years, Aline and her descendants fight against systemic starvation, racism and sexual
abuse—and to build a more just future.
In the face of a rapidly shifting and hostile world, Aline's remarkable journey moves through memories
of residential school, perilous adventures across snowy traplines and classified London bureaus, where
she works as a code talker in the Second World War. Supported by her daughter Taylor, a determined
lawyer, and granddaughter Percy, the family’s creative force, Aline must find the strength to step into
her role as family Matriarch and confront the scars of the past.
A sweeping drama grounded in historical truth, Bones of Crows weaves together underrepresented
moments in Canadian and Indigenous history, including the Indigenous contributions to WW2, the
ongoing cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission of Canada. Aline’s story enriches our understanding of the past and empowers us to
address our collective future.

 

 

Our People will be Healed - June 28, 7:00pm
Pay as you can and theatre seats are on a first come, first served basis.

 

 

Our People Will Be Healed, Alanis Obomsawin’s 50th film, reveals how a Cree community in
Manitoba has been enriched through the power of education. The Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw
Education Resource Centre in Norway House, north of Winnipeg, receives a level of funding
that few other Indigenous institutions enjoy. Its teachers help their students to develop their
abilities and their sense of pride.