In the Bella Coola River valley, on Nuxalk territory, the disappearance of the eulachon, a small fish essential to the community’s way of life, illustrates the dispossession of the people who are now trying to reclaim the territory that was taken from them. Ceremony—brought to life by Qwaxw, a local radio host—patiently and gently unfolds this story that was filmed over more than a decade. Combining archives, family stories, animation, traditional knowledge and scientific research, the film reveals a generation’s resistance as their heritage anchors the present. The captivating mountains, forests and the river become a theatre for this story where injustice feeds hope and the eulachon’s quest mirrors that of a people in the process of rebuilding. (MAS)

Quebec Premiere

competition : Magnus Isacsson Competition

Ceremony