The Weengushk Film Institute to offer new programs
By Rick Garrick
M’CHIGEENG — The Weengushk Film Institute (WFI) recently launched three new online programs, The Art of Documentary Story Telling, Business in Film and Indigenous Governance, to provide students with the opportunity to study from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Those were the new programs we decided to launch in reaction to COVID-19,” says Angela Lewis Kijadjiwan, producer at WFI. “We were trying to find a way to keep offering our programming and keep up with the times. It’s bringing Weengushk right into your own home. We use a Zoom event and it gives us a way to interact, and we still have our one-on-one time with our trainers.”
The Art of Documentary Story Telling is a four-month program designed as an immersive, collective experience into the art of storytelling with a focus on documentary film as a creative process and how this medium tells stories in a captivating way, sparking conversation that can contribute to social political change. It has intakes scheduled on March 1 and September 19.
“It takes you over the ins and outs of doing a documentary and how to make your story run,” Kijadjiwan says.
Business in Film is a four-month program with a focus on all business aspects of content creation, finance as well as documentation. It had an intake on Jan. 10 and another is scheduled on Jan. 9, 2023.
“This is a producer’s course, so it’s the higher end marketing, distribution, starting your own business, etcetera,” Kijadjiwan says.
Indigenous Governance is a four-month program with a focus on topics such as land, leadership, financials, business, education, citizenship, decision making and nation to nation relationships. It had an intake on Jan. 11 and another is scheduled on Jan. 10, 2023.
“That one [looks at] the Indian Act, treaties, nation-to-nation relationships with Indigenous people and the non-Indigenous community,” Kijadjiwan says.
WFI also has four in-person programs scheduled to be delivered beginning in September at the Tom Peltier Centre near M’Chigeeng First Nation: Lab 1: Certificate in Film Production, Lab 2: Certificate of Television Production, 3D Animation and Journey for Knowledge (Land based Learning). The Lab 2: Certificate of Television Production has a scheduled intake on Sept. 12 and the other three programs have scheduled intakes on Sept. 6.
“We have the main building where we will have our 3D Animation, Lab 1 and Lab 2,” Kijadjiwan says, adding that a new building with a sacred fire space is currently being added to the site. “That will house our Journey for Knowledge [Land based Learning].”
Kijadjiwan, a Lab 1: Certificate in Film Production graduate, enjoyed the opportunity to work this past year with other WFI students on a documentary film, Runs Through Their Blood, that was an official selection at the 46th Annual Virtual American Indian Film Festival. The film, which explores the intergenerational effects of the Indian Residential School system, was produced and written by Kijadjiwan, directed and written by Helen Pyette and edited and written by Izabelle Lagendoen.
“We try to bring in our students after they do our training with us to actually do a project,” Kijadjiwan says, noting that WFI aims to provide students with “a portfolio to enter into the film industry.”
Kijadjiwan says WFI welcomes non-Indigenous students but most of their students to date have been Indigenous youth.
“We try to use a lot of the culture to help with their own journeys, their own careers,” Kijadjiwan says. “They really love the idea of our land-based components because it helps them with the artistry, helps them get inspired, helps them feel proud of their culture. It helps them with the self esteem of it to realize: ‘Hey, I deserve to be in the film industry.’”