Free Screening of "Edge of the Knife"

In honour of National Indigenous People's day all are welcome to attend a free screening of SGAAWAAYK'UUNA (Edge of the Knife) by Hluugitagaa Gwaai Edenshaw, Jaada Gyaahlangnaay and Helen Haig-Brown

Short Synopsis:

Haida Gwaii, 1800’s. At a seasonal fishing camp two families endure conflict between the nobleman Adiits’ii and his best friend Kwa. After Adiits’ii causes the accidental death of Kwa’s son, he flees into the rainforest, descending into madness and transforming into Gaagiixid – “the Wildman.” When the families return in the spring, they discover Adiits’ii has survived the winter. Can he be rescued and returned to his humanity? Meanwhile, Kwa wrestles with his deepest desire – revenge.
 

From the Director's Notes: 

Having survived decades of hardship and cultural genocide, Haida today are reclaiming their language with hard work and dedication. A nation-wide effort strives to advance Haida language on all fronts: in public schools; with college-education; through mentor apprenticeship efforts; using Haida immersion programs; and much more. As individuals and as a nation, we are working hard to ensure our children speak the language of our ancestors.

SGaawaay K’uuna is just a part of the inspirational legacy our elders and ancestors have entrusted to the current generation. Fluent elders carefully translated our script into three Haida dialects. In telling our story we recognize that our inheritance includes many dialects that are rooted deep in history.

Our fully-Haida cast trained rigorously with dedicated fluent speakers, who coached them in memorizing, pronouncing, and expressing their lines. We worked with expert weavers and professional costume designers to provide audiences with an accurate view of our people as they appeared before Haayhiilas, the smallpox genocides of 1862. A team assembled a set of historically accurate tools and technology. Some are new creations, and others are centuries-old objects our ancestors passed down to us.

Many accomplished language champions, carvers, and weavers appear in the film wearing the clothes and using the items they created themselves. We hope our joint effort will allow audiences to peer into the lives of our ancestors, who lived amongst the beautiful objects that reflect their dignity and excellence.