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Darlene Naponse: Falls Around Her

Darlene Naponse, Falls Around Her, 2018. Photo: courtesy The Film Farm.

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Area Premiere

Featuring writer/director Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe Kwe) and actor Tantoo Cardinal (Métis) in person.

“Let us show you the love and the beauty of our community; let us share it through our own world view and through our own voices, our own languages.” —Tantoo Cardinal

Falls Around Her follows Mary Birchbark (Tantoo Cardinal), a legendary singer who returns to the vast wilderness of her reserve to reconnect with the land and her community. She soon begins to sense that someone might be watching her. Unsure of what is real or imagined, Birchbark embraces isolation as she explores the psychological impact of her past and present. 2018, Atikameksheng Anishnawbek/Canada, DCP, 98 minutes.

“Acting allows me to present a different kind of truth, to bring some light back into the stories of our history.” —Tantoo Cardinal

Production of Falls Around Her took place on the sacred land of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, a First Nation in Northern Ontario, Canada, and home to writer and director Darlene Naponse and her ancestors. Its people are descendants of the Ojibway, Algonquin, and Odawa Nations.

“I got into acting through my political involvement, through a sense of justice. I wanted to see things change, to offset some of the lies that have been told about us throughout history.” —Tantoo Cardinal

Honoring Tantoo Cardinal

Iconic Métis actress Tantoo Cardinal will be honored at the screening of her most recent film, Falls Around Her. One of the most celebrated Indigenous actors in the industry, Cardinal has appeared in more than 100 films since the 1970s. Gaining popular international recognition for her roles in Dances with Wolves (1990), Black Robe (1991), and Smoke Signals (1998), Cardinal continues to win acclaim for her performances in independent and commercial films as well as in television series.

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