Cree

Red Fever (Opening Night Film)

Red Fever follows Cree co-director Neil Diamond on his journey to find out why the world is so fascinated with the stereotypical imagery of Native people that is all over pop culture.

Opening Night festivities begin at 6PM with a catered pre-show reception downstairs in Showplace’s Cogeco Studio. At 7PM on the main stage ReFrame and celebrated artist Alice Olsen Williams will officially open the 2025 festival. Following the screening of Red Fever, director Catherine Bainbridge and producer Ernest Webb, co-founders of Rezolution Pictures, will join audiences for a livestreamed Q&A. The evening will end with live musical performances by Missy Knott (Singing Wild Rice Girl) and James Mixemong.

A person wearing a cap, glasses, and a cross necklace is seated beside a large figure in a bear costume. The bear figure is standing on two legs, with one arm raised and the other extended forward, displaying claws. Both figures are set against a blue-tinted backdrop with silhouetted foliage, creating a surreal, nocturnal scene.

A Bear Named Jesus

At Aunty Gladys’ funeral, Archer Pechawis heard a tap on the window — it was a bear named Jesus. This film is an allegory for religious interference, with an aching yet humorous look at estrangement, and mourning for the loss of someone still living.

Viewed through multiple circular vignettes, the image captures an individual engaged in the process of hide tanning. The person is wearing a red plaid jacket and a warm cap, indicating a cold environment with snow on the ground. They are using tools to scrape and work on the hide, which is stretched out on a frame. Each circular frame overlaps to create a collage effect, showcasing different stages or angles of the hide tanning process.

My Storytelling

“Using my hands are very important to me.”
Knott recounts her history, intertwined with her family and community through a motif of hands that work and create. Highlighting her mother’s highly skilled, detail-oriented, and artful moccasin-making, Knott continues that work of care. To love is to touch, forming a connection with the earth, and those you care for.

PANEL: Wshkiigmong Dibaajmownan/Curve Lake Storytelling

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