Synopsis

An observation of Cree artist Lana Whiskeyjack as she works to complete a mixed-media sculpture of a tortured face, the face of her uncle. Lana calls the piece "Lost My Talk". This brief study of an artist and her work helps us come to some understanding of the trauma experienced by Canada’s Indigenous people in the Indian Residential School system, of its enduring effects on the children of survivors of the IRS, and of one woman’s journey to recover what was lost: dignity, identity, and voice. A story of resilience, Lana’s journey speaks of the power of Indigenous “ways of being” in our time.

Awards/Screenings/Festivals

Festival Screenings: FAVA FEST 2017 (Edmonton); Female Eye Film Festival (Toronto) 2017; United Nations Association Film Festival 2017 (Stanford, CA, USA); Cinema Politica Program Selection 2017-2018 (Montreal); Yellowknife International Film Festival 2018; Marda Loop Social Justice Film Festival 2018 (Calgary)

Community & Conference Screenings: Indigenous Knowledge Conference 2017 (Blue Quills First Nations University); Metro Cinema (Edmonton, AB) 2017; Canadian Society for the Study of Religion Congress 2018 (Regina, SK); National Aboriginal Day Conference 2018 (Red Deer, AB); North American Interfaith Network 2018 (Edmonton, AB); Parliament of the World's Religions 2018 (Toronto, ON).

Part of the 2017-2019 Cross-Canada touring Art & Film Installation pikiskwe-speak: an Invitation to Conversations in Reconciliation (See: pikiskwe-speak.ca/)