Hands working hide, bringing knowledge back to life. Voices and language refusing to disappear. Two films grounded in land, language, and continuance where what was nearly lost is carried forward, practiced, and protected.

The tradition of tanning hides with brains was once practiced by every Dené person in Alaska. An art that was nearly lost by assimilation, Kathleen Hildebrand works with a group of Dené women at her urban backyard hide camp in the heart of Chen’o (Fairbanks) to revive this tradition. One of the few films out there narrated in Denaakk’e, we learn alongside the women how the hides have healing.

English Open Captions

Deneege Leł Ghu Kk’ots’eedeneeyh Te Heł Hoozoonh Ts’e Denots’edeneeyh

Narrated in Denaakk’e, the film follows a group of Dené women reviving the near lost practice of brain-tanning hides, a centuries-old tradition tied to the health of the land and community.

A Cree Approach follows Tristin Greyeyes on a deeply personal journey to understand why Cree was not her first language, unraveling the story of her late grandmother, Freda Ahenakew. Freda, a single mother of 12 and high school dropout, witnessed a generational divide in her family—half of her children learned Cree as their first language, while the rest grew up without it. Despite these challenges, Freda became a renowned Indigenous scholar, linguist, and advocate for the Cree language, notably creating the Cree Standard Roman Orthography, a writing system that revitalized language learning for future generations.
Through interviews, archival footage, and personal reflection, Tristin delves into Freda’s legacy, uncovering the complex history behind her work and its profound impact on Indigenous language revitalization. Along the way, Tristin is inspired to learn Cree herself, as she recognizes the vital importance of preserving her cultural heritage. This intimate documentary is not only a tribute to Freda’s enduring influence but also a call to action for the reclamation of language and identity in Indigenous communities.

Residential school, Emotional distress, Grief, Mention of abuse

A Cree Approach

Unless people like us do something about reclaiming, revitalizing or, you know, maintaining what we have, [Indigenous languages] will all be gone. It’s up to us as Indian people that want to preserve our languages.

IndigiQueer Stewards

Streaming Ticket

Donation to {{name}}

Donate

Gift Cards

None available

Memberships

These are all the memberships tied to your account. Now, use our online schedule to reserve tickets. You can access your tickets via {{my_tickets_link|"My Tickets"}} or via the PDFs attached to each ticket order confirmation email. {{buy_membership_link|Looking to buy more memberships?}}

These are all the passes tied to your account. Now, use our online schedule to reserve tickets. You can access your tickets via {{my_tickets_link|"My Tickets"}} or via the PDFs attached to each ticket order confirmation email. {{buy_pass_link|Looking to buy more passes?}}

Return to our main site: https://qwocmap.org/festival/

Below are all of your tickets.

When you arrive at the Film Festival, open this page on your phone and tap "Show Barcode" button.

If you prefer to print your tickets, you can click the gear in the top right corner to print all of your tickets at once.

If you have any questions, please email festival@qwocmap.org

Passes

Explore our online screenings here, and head over to the {{livestreams|Live Streams}} tab to see what's coming up.

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? No sweat. Many live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.