Celebrating Indigenous World Cinema

Saturday, July 27, 7PM

HARKINS THEATRE FLAGSTAFF 16

ARIZONA PREMIERE

SGAAWAAY K’UUNA / EDGE OF THE KNIFE

Drama, Canada 2018/USA 2019, 1hr 40min 

 

Producer: Jonathan Frantz

Directors: Helen Haig-Brown (Tsilhqot’in) and Gwaai Edenshaw  (Haida)

Writer: Gwaai Edenshaw, Jaalen Edenshaw (Haida), Graham Richard and Leonie Sandercock

Cinematographer: Jonathan Frantz

Editor: Sarah Hedar

Starring: Tyler York (Haida), William Russ (Haida) and Adeana Young (Haida)

In Haida with English subtitles

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POST-SCREENING DISCUSSION WITH OCTAVIANA TRUJILLO (Yaqui), Ph.D., former tribal leader and founding chair and professor of the department of Applied Indigenous Studies at NAU  

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Vancouver International Film Festival • Winner, Best BC Film; Winner, Best Canadian Feature Film;

Winner, Most Popular Canadian Film

Toronto International Film Festival • Nominated, Best Canadian Feature Film

ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival • Winner, Sun Jury Prize

 

In the 1800s in the remote islands of Haida Gwaii, off the west coast of British Columbia, two extended families re-unite at their annual summer fishing camp. Soon conflict between a charismatic young nobleman, Adiits’ii, and his best friend Kwa, tears their interwoven families apart. When Adiits’ii’s recklessness causes the death of Kwa’s son, he flees into the rainforest. Wracked with grief, Adiits’ii descends into madness and transforms into Gaagiixid, a ravenous supernatural being caught between worlds and consumed by insatiable hunger. When the families return the following summer, they realize Adiits’ii has survived the winter. Now while the community hopes to restore Adiits’ii’s humanity, Kwa wrestles with his deepest desire - revenge.

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Edge of the Knife is the first feature film in which the actors speak only in dialects of the Haida language, now spoken by fewer than 20 people in the world. Actors were taught to speak Haida prior to and during filming. With Edge of the Knife, the filmmakers intended to preserve Haida language and culture for future generations.