The Vancouver International Film Festival is starting this week and with it the premier of Monkey Beach. This film is based on the novel of the same name, written by BC local Eden Robison. Robison is a member of the Haisla nation and writes about life on reserves in Northern BC, while incorporating myths and legends from her culture. This film will not be any different. Monkey Beach’s main character is Lisa, a young woman who has had unusual dreams and seen strange creatures since she was young. The dreams return when her brother Jimmy goes missing at sea and Lisa must set out on a journey to rescue him.

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Indigenous Female Role Models

The actor playing Lisa is Grace Dove, a young BC local, who previously starred in The Revenant alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. The filming was led by indigenous director Loretta Sarah Todd. It is wonderful to see a film about a strong indigenous woman, led by indigenous creatives and adapted from an indigenous story.

Beans

Tickets for Monkey Beach went fast and unfortunately it has sold out for both the cinema and online viewings. If you still want to check out a Canadian film from an indigenous perspective, there are tickets left for Beans, but you better be quick. Another film by an indigenous female director, Beans looks at the violence and racism surrounding the Oka crisis from the eyes of a young girl growing up in a Mohawk community. The story is shaped around the memories of the filmmaker, Tracey Deer, who was 12 at the time of the protests.

Don’t Wait

If Eden Robinson’s Monkey Beach has you intrigued, you don’t need to wait for the movie to be released. You can read the book or get ready for the new CBC tv series, Trickster, premiering October 7th and it will also be available to stream through CBC Gem.

To know more about VIFF check out this article published by Jiahong Lin earlier in the week.