What would it take to overcome colonial history? This meditative short film looks for answers
Jesse Wente: 'An act of art and resistance, Flood will leave you overwhelmed and gasping for more'
"Flood" by Amanda Strong
As the country marks 150 years of Confederation, five of Canada's most distinguished filmmakers respond to Buffy Sainte-Marie's call to "Keep Calm and Decolonize" and offer an alternative vision. Watch all five films now.
A note from series curator Jesse Wente
You will not see another movie this year quite like "Flood" by Vancouver director and animator Amanda Strong. Spider Woman weaves the story of an Indigenous youth named Thunder who must wade through a flood of papers and laws created by an indestructible spirit. Questioning the authors of colonial history, Thunder connects past to present and with support of her elders, prepares for the coming storm. An act of art and resistance, "Flood" will leave you overwhelmed and gasping for more.
About the filmmaker, Amanda Strong
Amanda Strong is an Indigenous (Michif) filmmaker, media artist and stop motion artist currently based in unceded Coast Salish territory, also known as Vancouver. She studied photography and illustration at Sheridan Institute and extended those mediums into creations in media arts.
Amanda's work looks into lndigenous lineage, language and unconventional methods of storytelling. Each film is a collaborative process with a multi-layered approach to aspects animation and the sonic spectrum. Her films have screened across the globe, most notably at Cannes, TIFF, VIFF and Ottawa International Animation Festival.
Amanda has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, BC Arts Council and the NFB. In 2013, Amanda was the recipient K.M. Hunter Artist Award for Film and Video, and received the 2016 Vancouver Mayors Arts Awards for Emerging Film and Media Artist. Most recently she was selected by renowned filmmaker Alanis Obamsawin to receive post production services through the Clyde Gilmour Technicolour Award.
Her latest short animation "Four Faces of the Moon" is available online through CBC Short Docs. Amanda is currently developing the new short animations "Wheetago War" and "Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes)" as well as the development of bringing her works into interactive spaces.
From shadow puppets to documentary, Keep Calm and Decolonize explores what a "decolonized" Canada might look like, imagining a world no longer bound by the structures you know, where the circle of voices is larger. Watch all five films now.