Aultsville Filmfest Kicks off with Screening of Beans (2020)

Tonight, we attended the opening night of the Aultsville Filmfest, which kicked off before the show with a red carpet event.

At the event, we had an opportunity to speak with Jennifer Francis, a member of the festival’s committee.

Prior to the pandemic, as Francis explains, the festival had been running for 10 years, before having to come to a halt. Led by herself as the committee’s chairwoman, as well as an entirely new team, Aultsville filmfest was brought back this year for the first time since pre-pandemic.

Francis explains that the film selection was based on principles of her TRUCE acronym: “Tolerance, Respect, Understanding, Compassion, and Empathy.” She goes on to say that in a world of increasing misunderstanding, the committee wanted to present films that showed other perspectives; new ways forward.

With the guidance of this acronym, the committee selected four films that represented new perspectives of TRUCE: A Mohawk film; a film about a transgender man; a film about queerness as a Muslim; and a film about the troubles of navigating as a newcomer to Canada.

The former film, Beans (2020) was the film shown tonight. Beans, starring Akwesasne’s own Kiawentiio, tells the tale of the Oka crisis in 1990 from the perspective of Tekehentahkhwa (played by Kiawentiio), a Mohawk preteen.

The film, based on the true story of director Tracey Deer’s real experience through the crisis, is a coming-of-age tale of a good-hearted girl trying to hold onto her innocence as her world crumbles around her. A heartbreaking watch, Beans is a film that exposes us to the uncomfortable truths of Canadian history, and the type of film that can cultivate understanding about the unnecessary pain people feel due to a lack of communication.

After the film, Francis opened the floor to questions from the crowd, ultimately culminating in a speech given by Akwesasne grand chief Leonard Lazore. In this speech, Lazore emphasized the need for understanding and compassion between white and indigenous Canadian communities.

The festival continues tomorrow with showings of films at 2pm and 7:30pm.

Tickets can be bought here.