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PUSHING FORM IN INDIGENOUS DOCUMENTARY CRAFT

Spotlight From Ursula Grace Williams’s music documentary Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds, to Jason Ryle’s animated feature Endless Cookie and Kieran Mpetyane Satour’s cinematic project based on audio testimonials, Facing the Numbers – First Nations filmmakers unpack the creative and cultural drivers of their innovative documentary approaches.

Three bold Indigenous filmmakers from across the globe share their unique and innovative approaches to documentary storytelling.

Premiering at Sundance 2025 and winning the Rogers Audience Choice Award for Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs 2025, Endless Cookie is a nine-year labour of love and a uniquely playful animation. Conversations between two brothers – one Indigenous and one white – form the foundation of a psychedelic collage of animated vignettes. Creative Producer Jason Ryle, who is Anishinaabe from Lake St. Martin, Manitoba, shares the process of making this out-of-the-box feature.

In Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua– Two Worlds, Samoan/New Zealand director Ursula Grace Williams explores her creative approach to observational storytelling – one that holds true to Marlon Williams’ very personal story while also allowing for creative flair to complement the world of Marlon’s musical and cultural explorations.

Ursula and Jason are joined by Gurindji/Malngin, Pertame Arrernte and Worimi director Kieran Mpetyane Satour, whose cinematic project, Facing the Numbers, draws on audio testimonials in collaboration with cinematographer Tyson Perkins to tell the stories behind the statistics of First Nations injustice.

Together these bold First Nations creatives explore their very different approaches to craft, form and Indigenous storytelling to showcase the remarkable strength, resilience and joy of First Nations Peoples.

Jason Ryle is joining AIDC as a guest thanks to the generous support of Telefilm.

 

Image credit: Marlon Williams: Two Worlds – Ngā Ao E Rua (Madman Entertainment, 2025)

 

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