Across the country, artists faced similar challenges while creating their films. But Fox believes their collaborative spirit is what carried the production forward. “The biggest hurdle every single time, except for our artists who live in big cities, was transferring footage. It's just a reality, particularly for artists in the north,” she says. “We often forget that there's a whole other reality for many remote Indigenous communities that don't have access to basic Internet,” Fox explains.
Hasaatuk performs an original song from Nuu-chah-nulth territory. (Photo: Hasaatuk)
“These artists really went out of their way to collaborate with us. I wanted to honour their stories, and the results were astounding. You see the storytelling, you see the magic in the artists and what they said.” The artists have not yet seen their completed films, and will share the premiere experience with Summit attendees as the series is rolled out online in the days to come.
Giiwiizeh was a labour of love for Fox, who encourages emerging Indigenous creators to persevere with creative projects, regardless of the technology they have in-hand. “For a really long time, I thought that I didn't have the right tools, or that it wasn't the right time for me. That I wasn't the one to tell the story. I just didn't think that I was good enough,” she says. “But the real truth is that we all deserve to take up space. Whether it's an iPhone, even if it’s the oldest model, or an old video camera. Whatever you can get your hands on. I want to tell Indigenous people: Create. Go share your own story first, because our own story, the story of our family, is as epic as anyone else's. I think we have to start there.”
The International Indigenous Music Summit is streaming live, from Ottawa, on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Peoples. Tickets are available on a sliding scale, ranging from free — or pay-what-you-can — to $250.