Personal Journey of Anishinaabe Storyteller’s Search for Truth Premieres at TIFF

TORONTO, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, on behalf of the Executive Council, congratulates Anishinaabe storyteller Tanya Talaga on the premiere this evening of her new documentary, The Knowing, at the Toronto International Film Festival:

“Congratulations to our dear friend Tanya and her creative team for bringing such a powerful and evocative story to the screen. I am sure it will resonate with audiences across Turtle Island and encourage much-needed reflection on the horrors and legacy of the Indian Residential School System.

The Knowing tells the true history of this country in a way that can only be told by Indigenous storytellers. This is a very personal story that somehow connects all of us. It masterfully traces the centuries-long oppression of Indigenous Peoples that continues to reverberate in our First Nations communities today.

Often resigned to history, the injustices inflicted on our people are scarring wounds that cannot heal without truth, justice, and reconciliation. This remarkable film will help everyone understand why.

This tragic story of separation and loss is all-too familiar amongst our members and communities. There are many stories like Annie’s that need to be told, and their remains need to be found. I hope this film encourages all those in authority to help these families do the difficult work that must be done.”

Directed by Talaga and Kanien’kehá:ka filmmaker Courtney Montour, The Knowing uncovers an 80-year-old mystery about the life of Talaga’s great-great grandmother Annie Carpenter and her family who experienced decades of government- and Church-sanctioned enfranchisement and genocide.

The film features interviews and the participation of Edmund Metatawabin, Roy Carpenter, Victor Chapais, Norma Kejick, Brian Nakogee, Paula Rickard, Leona Spence, Martha Sutherland, Stella Schimmens, Meshan Sutherland, Jonathon Solomon, Elder Joseph Wheesk, Fort Albany Chief Liz Kataquapit, and Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa.

A version in full Ininimowin by members of Peetabeck (Fort Albany) and Stella Schimmens of Moose Cree First Nation will be available on CBC Gem at the end of September.

An award-winning journalist and best-selling author, Talaga has put a national spotlight on the ongoing injustices and violence that Indigenous Peoples continue to face. Her 2017 book, Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City, honours the deaths of seven Indigenous students in Thunder Bay between 2000 and 2011. It was followed by the documentary Mashkawi-Manidoo Bimaadiziwin, Spirit to Soar.

Her second book, All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward, explores the violent separation of Indigenous Peoples from the land, their families, and traditional ways of life. It was the subject of the 2018 CBC Massey Lectures.

For more information please contact:
Michael Heintzman,
Director of Communications
Cell: (807) 621-2790
mheintzman@nan.ca