Tanya Talaga's Spirit to Soar nominated for 'Best Documentary Feature' at the 46th American Indian Film Festival
Toronto, Canada – October 15, 2021 – The American Indian Film Institute announced today that Spirit to Soar, an Antica Productions’ 2021 documentary produced in collaboration with Makwa Creative, has been nominated for the American Indian Film Festivals’ ‘Best Documentary Feature’ award. Founded in 1979, the American Indian Film Institute was established to foster cultural teachings, traditions, and understanding issues of contemporary Indigenous peoples. The annual festival includes events such as film screenings, panel discussions, networking events, and awards ceremony. Over 3,100 films have been screened from Indigenous communities in the U.S. and Canada.
Spirit to Soar, Mashkawi-Manidoo Bimaadiziwin is a one-hour documentary inspired by co-director Tanya Talaga’s book, Seven Fallen Feathers. The film looks at how the book came to Talaga, when she travelled to Thunder Bay as a newspaper journalist on a federal election assignment, but discovered instead the story of seven First Nations high school students who had either died or gone missing from 2000 to 2011.
“This is a surprise and we’re really thankful to the AIFF team for their recognition of this important film. Congrats to all nominees,” said writer and director Tanya Talaga.
Spirit to Soar is a closer look at what has happened in the wake of the inquest into the student’s deaths, of how families and communities have struggled to carry on while pursuing justice for their loved ones and equity for First Nations People, and, it looks at Talaga’s own journey of trying to make sense of her role here.
At its heart, this film is a story of the strength and bravery First Nations youth face every single day, when they walk out the front door and head to high school in a country that has tried to erase them. Spirit to Soar premiered on CBC in September 2021.
Other nominees for the festival can be found here.
About Antica Productions
Antica Productions produces non-fiction podcasts, film and series which inform and inspire audiences around the world. One of North America’s largest independent podcast studios, its recent shows include Do You Know Mordechai? (NBC/USG); Art Bust: Scandalous Stories of the Art World (NBC/USG); The Followers: Madness of Two (NBC/USG); Highly Legal with Jay Baruchel (Audible) and two award-winning documentary films Captive (TVO); and Spirit to Soar (CBC). 2022 will see the launch of several new Antica co-productions, including the much anticipated Translators with the Black Eyed Peas.
Press Contact: Stuart Coxe, President
Email: business@anticaproductions.com