BRIDGET MORRISON

Gail Maurice, a Métis and Cree-speaking filmmaker and 1988 graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, will be screening her short film Assini at the 16th annual ImagineNATIVE Festival this year.

Indigenous films have been gaining prominence in the film industry in recent decades. The ImagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival, which premiered in 2000 in Toronto, allows Indigenous people from around the world to submit and showcase their work in various artistic mediums. ImagineNATIVE has since become the world’s largest Indigenous festival, highlighting excellence in Indigenous art, film and culture.

Maurice, who is from Beauval, Sask., had little knowledge of the film industry growing up.

“Being from the North, I didn’t even realize movies were made in Canada. I was pretty naïve and isolated,” Maurice said.

While at the U of S, Maurice did not take any film or drama classes — in fact, she wasn’t aware they were even offered. It was after she graduated from the U of S with a bachelor of arts in psychology and sociology and moved to Vancouver that she discovered a whole other world — the world of film.

Maurice laughed as she told the story of how she discovered film.

“I was walking down the street in Vancouver and I saw movie trucks. I had no idea what they were, so I asked them what they were doing. They told me they were making a movie, and I said ‘Can I be in it?’” Maurice said.

That was the first time Maurice discovered the Canadian film industry and she decided to pursue acting and began to make a name for herself.

Maurice found success in a variety of Canadian films, television and radio shows in the 1990s and early 2000s. After a while, though, she began to tire of her type-cast persona, which was submissive and subservient to men and often stereotypically Indigenous. Maurice decided to transition to the production side of the industry.

“I thought, ‘I’m going to start writing my own scripts and telling stories of powerful women,’” Maurice said.

In 2006, Maurice created her own production company called Assini Productions. She is a triple threat, writing, directing and producing her films. Through this company, Maurice has produced numerous films such as Smudge, which deals with Indigenous spirituality in urban centres, and Thirst, a documentary exploring the lack of clean drinking water in First Nations communities in Ontario. Both Smudge and Thirst were screened at ImagineNATIVE, receiving the Official Selection award in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

Not only has Maurice found success with her films at ImagineNATIVE, but she has also served as a board member and panel lecturer for many years at the festival. Maurice believes ImagineNATIVE is an important festival for fostering a global presence for Indigenous artists.

“It’s not only representative of Canadian Indigenous films, but Indigenous cultures all around the world. It is also making huge strides in partnerships with telefilm, and other festivals like Hot Docs and Tisch,” Maurice said.

Maurice’s latest short film, Assini, will have its world premiere on Oct. 15 in Toronto at ImagineNATIVE 2015. It follows a seven-year-old girl named Assini as she grows up in the 1970s in Northern Saskatchewan.

Assini loves to play “cowboys and Indians” with her friends — however, she doesn’t realize she is an “Indian” herself. The story follows her struggle towards self-awareness and self-acceptance. The film analyzes the effect that media can have on self-image, especially among Indigenous peoples.

The title of Maurice’s production company, latest short film and the leading character in this film all share one thing in common: the name Assini. The word means “rock” in Cree and Maurice chose it because rocks represent strength and power for her — of the earth and of nature. It perfectly exemplifies her commitment to portraying strong female characters.

Maurice hopes the audience will learn some lessons from Assini.

“I want people to take away the power of image and the power that media can have on not just kids, but everyone. I try to tell stories to highlight Indigenous issues.”

For more information on Maurice, Assini Productions and Assini, visit assiniproductions.com.