Calgary Film 2017: WHEN THEY AWAKE - OPENING GALA FILM (Trailer)

Co-presented with Movie Nights Across Canada, a special Canada 150 celebration of Canadian cinema, WHEN THEY AWAKE is the Calgary International Film Festival's Opening Gala selection. The festival’s marquee event, the evening will include a pre-reception (VIP tickets only), a film screening, and live performances by Indigenous musicians – join us for our biggest party of the year.

For hundreds of years, the indigenous populations of North America were stripped of their cultures, languages, and customs. But now, in a renaissance born out of centuries of hardship, the prescient words of Métis leader Louis Riel are proving true: "My people will sleep for 100 years, but when they awake, it will be the artists that give them their spirit back."

In WHEN THEY AWAKE, we follow the footsteps of trailblazers like Buffy Sainte-Marie and Robbie Robertson to modern Indigenous musicians in Canada and elsewhere, who are getting noticed on the mainstream scene, reclaiming their place as key players in contemporary society. From hip hop, rock, and electropop to EDM and country blues, a new generation of outspoken artists are channeling the frustrations and resilience of their ancestors into a stirring and hopeful vision of the future. Featuring Anishinaabe EDM group A Tribe Called Red, Cree trip-hop sensation IskWé, Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq, Dene singer-songwriter Leela Gilday, and many more, WHEN THEY AWAKE is a journey into this tapestry of artists in the midst of a full-blown musical revolution that are speaking to the next generation of Indigenous Canadian youth.

Tickets
General admission: $35, includes movie and after-party
VIP: $75, includes a pre-reception, movie and after-party

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The 2017 Calgary International Film Festival takes place September 20 - October 1, 2017. #calgaryfilm