Film tour showcasing works by Indigenous youth arrives in Maritimes

Maritimeaudiencesare getting the chance to see ahost of Indigenous youth films as the WapikoniCinema on Wheels makes its way to the East Coast.

Cinema on Wheels is a travelling caravan full of exterior projection equipment that'sspent mostof the year travelling from coast to coast showcasing award-winning short films made by Indigenous youth fromacross the country.

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The films on display areacollectionfrom theWapikoniworkshop,a mobile movie-making project that allows young Indigenous people in First Nation communities to make their own films.

It wascreatedin 2004 in honour of community leader Wapikoni Awashish.

"It's a great creative outlet," GeronimoInutiq, a facilitator and projectionist with Cinema on Wheels, told CBC'sInformation Morning: Moncton.

"It's really great for the youth to express themselves, to discover more about the filmmaking process to get their voices out there."

Over 1,000 films made in 13 years

Since 2004, Indigenous youth from across the country have used Wapikonito make over 1,000 short films.

The project is away to help break the isolation of some of these youth andto help themexpress themselves through filmand get their voices heard, said Inutiq.

An array of films have been made by youth so far, everything from horror flicks to music videos, and animated shorts to films that tackle larger socioeconomic issues in Indigenouscommunities.

No topic is off limits, which leads to a fascinating list of stories being told.

Inutiq said some of the films have beenfeatured at film festivals likeSundance, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Montreal International Documentary Festival andthe Cannes Film Market.

"The process of storytelling is quite rich," he added.

"We've been telling the rest of Canada that these stories may come from Indigenous youth and communities, but really they should speak to all of us."

The tour stopped inElsipogtog First Nation on Wednesday and Moncton on Thursday.

The New Brunswick leg of their journey has ended and the travelling showcase will make it's way to P.E.I. in the coming daysand Nova Scotia later this month.