Official Selections: LA Indigenous Film Fest
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Complete Line-Up Below
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Use Index to learn more about each film.
The healing lands
Documentary, Short
World Premiere
Description/storyline of your film: In Labrador, Moïra Ashini meets Sheshatshius chief who shares his concerns about the health of his people. She meets several Innu who are camping at the Gull Island gathering to further their healing process. There she befriends Julie-Ann who is enrolled in the Christian Youth Camp detox program. This young mothers goal is to heal in order to regain custody of her two-year-old daughter.
Director: Denis Boivin
Producer: Dina Bacon
Writer: Denis Boivin
Cast: Moïra Ashini, Julie-Ann Collins, Shipu Penashue
Cinematographer: Bruno Carrière, Laurent Poliquin
Editor: Xavier Hovington-Dupuis
This film was shot in Gull Island, Labrador, part of the Nitassinan — the land of the Innu people.
I Am Not Your Dusky Maiden
Short Film
I Am Not Your Dusky Maiden is a bold and emotionally charged short drama that follows Ala, a Samoan woman living with Dissociative Identity Disorder, as she navigates a therapy session confronting past trauma. Ala shifts between distinct alter egos – each representing a fragment of her psyche and cultural identity. From the nurturing innocence of FLO to the sensual confidence of EVA, and the volatile rage of SAIA, Ala battles inner chaos and external judgment. When PUIPUI emerges as her fierce ancestral protector, the session spirals into a powerful reckoning. In a final twist, the roles reverse: Ala is no longer patient but therapist. The boundaries between past and present, healer and healed, begin to blur.
The film is a cinematic exploration of identity, colonisation and indigenous healing. Visually rich and culturally grounded, it challenges stereotypes and reclaims the narrative of the Pacific woman.
When a Samoan woman enters therapy, she must navigate a series of alter egos protecting her from painful memories.
Director: Vea Mafile'o
Producer: Nora Aati, Jazz Dos Santos, Seuta’afili Dr Patrick Thomsen
Writer: Nora Aati
Cast: Nora Aati, Michael Koloi, Carrisse Uta'i
Cinematographer: Maria Ines Manchego
Editor: Lisa Greenfield, Jolin Lee
Awards: Jury Award Best Performance at New Zealand International Film Festival, Best Actress at the Red Movie Awards WINTER EDITION, Absurd Film Festival has awarded “Best Actor/Actress” - Nora Aati
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