This Is Not a Ceremony

2022~ 21 minInteractive: VR/AR/Mixed Reality

By: Ahnahktsipiitaa

Production: Dana Dansereau (National Film Board of Canada)Robert McLaughlin (National Film Board of Canada)

Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in partnership with imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

Niitsitapi writer and director Ahnahktsipiitaa (Colin Van Loon) takes us beyond the veil of traditional media and transports us directly into another realm, where past, present and future are one; where colonial rules and assumptions are forgotten; and where we can finally get to the truth of the matter.

Presented in stunning cinematic VR, the narrative unfolds all around us, on a dream-like plane of existence. Panoramas flow and merge, stories come to life and dance before our eyes, and community protocols confront our notions of personal responsibility. Here, we are asked to witness some of the darker sides of living life in Canada while Indigenous.

This unforgettable experience will stay with you long after it’s over. This Is Not a Ceremony calls on all who’ve watched to take action, to share what they have seen and heard, to learn from these tragedies and never forget—so that they will never happen again.

Subject categories


  • Indigenous Peoples in Canada (First Nations and Métis) > Cultural IdentityResidential SchoolsSocial Conditions
  • Psychology and Psychiatry > Dreams and Imagination
  • Education > Residential Schools History, Personal Accounts, Experience

Credits


writer
Ahnahktsipiitaa
director
Ahnahktsipiitaa
featuring
Adam North Peigan
Robert Sinclair
poet
Taran Standing Sunrise Kootenhayoo
Tawahum Bige
matriarch
Lillian Howard
director of photography
Olivier Leroux
editor
Jessica Dymond
art director, visual effects
James Monkman
music
Nagamo Publishing
Nigel Irwin
sound design
Nagamo Publishing
Drew Snyder
mix
Nagamo Publishing
Drew Snyder
assistant director
Rob Guthrie
production designer
Sean McQuillan
location scout
Michelle Bond
Quentin Johnston
cast
David Lyle
Marlies Dubois
Arvind Johal
Otto Szabo
Michele Wienecke
Alexander Eagletail
background performer
Jamie Crozier
Leanna Nash
Donna Kodama
Mustafa Yilmaz
Montana Oglesby
blackfoot voiceover
Dr. Eldon Yellowhorn
blackfoot translation
Dr. Eldon Yellowhorn
Awaakaasaakii
portrait photography
Alanna Blackrider-Onespot
portrait subject
Adonis ManyChief
Zane Severite-ManyChief
Adonis Zaharjko
Billy Twigg
Leonard Little Mustache Jr.
Dakota Big Tobacco
Draytin Morden
Justin Meguire
Donald Saddleback
Everett Wolftail
Jonathan Brewer
Brody Bad Eagle
Nathan Avery
Herb Wilson
Kobe Alexander James Morning Bull
Dwayne Delaney
Brayson Breaker
Liam Breaker
Keeran Yellow Horn
Jayden Doore
Earnest Poundmaker
Montana Tyrell Redcalf
Danzel Ear
George Goodstriker
Atreyu Chief Calf
Daniel Pard
Tristen Beebe
Bobby Currie
Joseph Rex Across the Mountain
George Van Loon
James Across the Mountain
gaffer
Cameron Watts
grip
Torin Greyeyes-Starblanket
sound recordist
Tyler Lucas
Zack May
wardrobe
Carmen Thompson
wardrobe assistant
Karuna Breeze Dampsy
Emmy Routledge
hair and makeup
Keesha Dawson-Harrison
Min Jee Mowat
Chenise Soosay
set photography
Soloman Chiniquay
Alanna Blackrider-Onespot
data wrangler
Odessa Shuquaya
Adam Solway
property buyer
Heather McQuillan
community liaison
Tawnya Plain Eagle
production assistant
Dustin McGladrey
Richard Wilson
Charlene Parsons
Kahka-Naikitstakii Crop Eared Wolf
assistant editor
Michael Morin
3D animator
Brian Vowles
Kodai Yanagawa
French translation
Gabrielle Lisa Collard
craft service
Salishan Catering
producer
Dana Dansereau
executive producer
Robert McLaughlin
project manager
Laura Mitchell
senior production coordinator
Jasmine Pullukatt
creative technologist
Vincent McCurley
studio operations manager
Camille Fillion
Janine Steele
studio administrator
Victoria Angell
Carla Jones
marketing manager
Tammy Peddle
social media strategist
Hannah Martin
education marketing strategist
Anne Koizumi
publicist
Katja De Bock
Jennifer Mair
legal counsel
Christian Pitchen
executive director
Naomi Johnson
Jason Ryle
institute director
Daniel Northway-Frank

Awards


  • Best Immersive Experience- Non-FictionCanadian Screen Awards
  • Digital + Interactive AwardimagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival