Vancouver – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’ award-winning feature-length documentary Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy (Seen Through Woman Productions/NFB) is screening in Canadian cinemas beginning November 5, distributed by the National Film Board of Canada.
Confirmed dates so far include Vancouver, Lethbridge, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Toronto and Victoria—with more cities to be announced—as this story of radical and profound change in the Kanai First Nation comes to communities across Canada.
About the film
Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy is an intimate portrait of survival, love and the collective work of healing in the Kainai First Nation in Southern Alberta, a Blackfoot community facing the impacts of substance use and a drug-poisoning epidemic, where community members active in addiction and recovery, first responders and medical professionals implement harm reduction to save lives.
Contextualized in the historical and lived trauma of settler colonialism, Kímmapiiyipitssini draws a connecting line between the impacts of colonialism on Blackfoot land and people and the ongoing substance-use crisis. Held in love and hope for the future, Kímmapiiyipitssini asks the audience to be a part of this remarkable change with the community.
The film was shot over four years with a largely Indigenous crew working in close collaboration with members of the Kainai First Nation.
Kímmapiiyipitssini (GEE-maa-bee-bit-sin) is a Blackfoot word meaning “giving kindness to each other.”
National screening schedule
Opens November 5, Vancity Theatre, Vancouver
Opens November 12, The Movie Mill, Lethbridge
Opens November 19, Winnipeg Cinematheque
Opens November 19, Rainbow Cinema Golden Mile, Regina
Opens November 19, The Roxy Theatre, Saskatoon
Opens November 19, Metro Cinema/Garneau Theatre, Edmonton
Opens November 20, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, Toronto
Opens November 24, Cinecenta Theatre, Victoria
Awards
Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award and Rogers Audience Award for Canadian Feature Documentary, Hot Docs 2021
Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director, DOXA 2021
Audience Choice Award, Canadian Documentary, 2021 Calgary International Film Festival
Co-winner, Inspiring Voices & Perspectives Feature Film Award, Cinéfest Sudbury 2021
Quotes
“Kímmapiiyipitssini is heartbreaking but should be mandatory viewing for policy makers to understand what opioids are doing to families. I raise my hands to Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, for being an unflinching witness to the dreams and struggles of her relatives.” – Duncan McCue, CBC Radio Host
“…a soaring portrait of tragedy and resilience, yes, but also a handbook for healing that those of us in the privileged classes could learn a lesson or two from.” – Lauren Wissot, Filmmaker Magazine
“It’s beautifully crafted, collaborative… [Tailfeathers] has become a real voice for Indigenous filmmaking.” – Hot Docs Programming Head Shane Smith, quoted by Christopher Vourlias, Variety
Credits
Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy is produced by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Lori Lozinski (Seen Through Woman Productions) and NFB producer and executive producer David Christensen (North West Studio), with the participation of Telefilm Canada and the assistance of the Hot Docs CrossCurrents Canada Doc Fund.
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers co-directed, produced and starred in The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open. Her lead roles also include Jeff Barnaby’s Blood Quantum and Danis Goulet’s Night Raiders, currently in theatres.
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Curator’s perspective | Director’s notes
About the NFB
Lily Robert
Director, Communications and Public Affairs, NFB
C.: 514-296-8261
l.robert@nfb.ca