As a film critic who’s spent years immersed in the world of cinema, I must say that “Yintah” stands out as a powerful and poignant documentary. Its decade-long journey mirrors my own lifelong passion for uncovering stories that matter, resonating deeply with the struggle for truth, justice, and self-determination.
Netflix has purchased the rights for distribution in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada for the feature documentary “Yintah.” This purchase takes place before the film’s debut at the Camden International Film Festival on September 14th.
For over a decade, the documentary “Yintah” chronicles the struggle of an Indigenous Canadian nation for self-rule as they oppose the building of several oil and gas pipelines on their land. Directed by Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano, and Jennifer Wickham, this film highlights the Wet’suwet’en’s right to manage and govern their territories.
The movie centers around Howilhkat Freda Huson and Sleydo’ Molly Wickham, who stand firm against the building of pipelines within their land.
Netflix is preparing to submit the 111-minute documentary that made its premiere at the True/False Film Festival in February, for Oscar nomination consideration.
In a shared announcement, the directors expressed that “Yintah” provides an unparalleled narrative of a significant surge in Indigenous resistance against Canadian colonialism, echoing the magnitude and resolve of the Wet’suwet’en struggle to safeguard their unceded territories from exploitation. The film, compiled over more than a decade of raw, on-the-spot recordings, follows two prominent Wet’suwet’en leaders (Freda Huson and Molly Wickham) as they courageously reclaim and defend their ancestral lands in the midst of state aggression.
Toledano remarks, “As movie-makers, we discovered that Canada maintains its reputation by using power. Over time, our camera operators were threatened with guns multiple times, arrested and detained repeatedly, subjected to unlawful police exclusion zones, surveillance, harassment, and even imprisonment. In spite of this oppression, ‘Yintah’ is a film that captures every significant moment, offering a strikingly consistent narrative of a story the police made great efforts to keep hidden.
In May, the documentary “Yintah” was showcased at the 31st edition of Canada’s Hot Docs film festival, where it garnered the Rogers Audience Award for the best Canadian documentary. This honor came with a monetary prize of CAD $50,000, equivalent to approximately USD $36,543.
According to Wickham, as external powers sought to invalidate Wet’suwet’en sovereignty, we, the filmmakers, chose to reinforce it. The final product is a movie that was assembled according to traditional Wet’suwet’en laws and under the joint control of the house groups at the heart of this narrative – with significant input from leading Wet’suwet’en figures and co-directed by relatives of our main characters. The filmmaking process followed a governance model similar to that of the Wet’suwet’en, emphasizing cooperation and mutual agreement, in order to tell this crucial story truthfully from a genuinely Wet’suwet’en viewpoint.
Sean Flynn, co-founder and program director of Points North, expresses that he chose to showcase the documentary “Yintah” at CIFF as he and the festival’s programming team were profoundly touched by how it portrays the Wetʼsuwetʼen Nation’s fight against a long-standing cycle of colonial violence. The filmmaker’s distinctive collaborative approach links this battle for territorial autonomy with the burgeoning drive for storytelling independence in Indigenous communities.
Michell emphasizes the importance of revealing the truth behind the events on Wet’suwet’en land – how a resilient community bravely stood their ground, shielding their territory from unjust seizure at gunpoint. It’s heartening that Netflix has chosen to bring this compelling narrative to light.
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2024-09-12 18:19