Two-spirit filmmaker Bretten Hannam says they hope their new film B次元官网网址淲ildhoodB次元官网网址� will inspire and open doors for more movie makers to show the lives Indigenous people in the LGBTQ community, but also encourage viewers to see parts of themselves in the characters.

Debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, B次元官网网址淲ildhoodB次元官网网址� follows a mixed-race teenager and his half-brother as they run away from their abusive father and life in an East Coast trailer park, in search of the teenB次元官网网址檚 MiB次元官网网址檏maq mother, who he previously thought had died.

Phillip Lewitski stars as the two-spirit Link, Avery Winters-Anthony portrays LinkB次元官网网址檚 younger half-brother Travis, and Joshua Odjick plays Pasmay, a pow wow dancer they meet along the way.

Hannam is MiB次元官网网址檏maq and two-spirit, a term used by some Indigenous peoples to describe their gender, sexual and spiritual identity.

The filmmaker, who uses they/them pronouns, said the coming-of-age film took more than 10 years to make, in part because of industry resistance to the Indigiqueer storyline.

They recalled facing criticism of the filmB次元官网网址檚 LGBTQ elements in early pitch meetings.

B次元官网网址淚 had actually let a few people read it and their response was never quite thrilled,B次元官网网址� the 37-year-old said in a recent interview.

The filmmaker grew up in Kespukwitk, N.S., in the southern part of the province where they still reside.

They got their start in film after being exposed to it as part of an animation program when they were younger.

Wildhood B次元官网网址渂ecomes a very powerful story because of that journey to reconnect,B次元官网网址� they said. B次元官网网址淭his one story is (about) knowing yourself, knowing who you are, knowing where you come from and knowing where you fit.B次元官网网址�

Throughout the film, Link and his companions travel across the rural expanse of Nova ScotiaB次元官网网址檚 Annapolis Valley, and Hannam says he relates to LinkB次元官网网址檚 simultaneous inward journey as he gets closer to his MiB次元官网网址檏maq heritage after years of ignoring it.

B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 grow up in community, unfortunately,B次元官网网址� Hannam said. B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 grow up with my language, I didnB次元官网网址檛 grow up knowing these things, a lot of people donB次元官网网址檛 for different reasons.B次元官网网址�

However in the last 10 years or so theyB次元官网网址檝e been exposing themselves to their MiB次元官网网址檏maq background and ceremonies, and learning the language, MiB次元官网网址檏maw.

B次元官网网址淢y goal with this, with whatever I do, is that B次元官网网址� it builds a bridge and it connects us together B次元官网网址� not just as people but with the land that we live on and the animals around us and the things that we have to learn from each other.B次元官网网址�

With the rustic and lush hillsides of the western part of Nova Scotia as the backdrop, LinkB次元官网网址檚 exploration of his MiB次元官网网址檏maq culture is tied to his exploration of his family. Julie Baldassi, one of the filmB次元官网网址檚 producers from Younger Daughter Films, said B次元官网网址淲ildhoodB次元官网网址淏次元官网网址榮 examination of family is at the core of the film.

B次元官网网址淭he relationships we have with the people who raise us are just so crucial, whether theyB次元官网网址檙e positive or negative or somewhere in-between,B次元官网网址� she said in a recent interview. B次元官网网址淚t forms us. And finding that safe space within those relationships is everything.B次元官网网址�

It was a challenge to create an emotionally intimate film while respecting pandemic distancing protocols, said fellow producer Gharrett Patrick Paon of Rebel Road Films.

But he said it was B次元官网网址渧ery importantB次元官网网址� for him to try to fill a gap in the film world by depicting Indigenous life in Atlantic Canada.

B次元官网网址淚t felt like an opportunity to contribute something to both the independent film community in Nova Scotia (and) the MiB次元官网网址檏maq community,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t just felt like a worthy endeavor.B次元官网网址�

Hannam echoed the sentiment, adding that thus far Indigenous representation in film has largely been mired in misrepresentation and inaccuracy.

B次元官网网址淲hen I was young and I would watch films, the only Indigenous people I saw were in spaghetti westerns. TheyB次元官网网址檙e not Indigenous people, theyB次元官网网址檙e Italian people and sometimes theyB次元官网网址檙e in terrible makeup,B次元官网网址� they said.

More than that, the little Indigenous representation that existed lacked any nuance of the different LGBTQ identities within Indigenous cultures.

Hannam said they hoped their work will inspire and open doors for more filmmakers to show the lives of Indigenous and Indigiqueer people.

B次元官网网址淭here are so many stories B次元官网网址� and they all deserve to be told,B次元官网网址� they said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a big honour. ItB次元官网网址檚 very exciting to be able to share this story with so many people.B次元官网网址�

Hannam, along with Baldassi, Paon, Lewitski, Winters-Anthony and actor Michael Greyeyes, attended the festival for the filmB次元官网网址檚 premiere at the Cinesphere IMAX Theatre on Sept. 11. It screens again digitally Sept. 12 and Sept. 17, and in-person on Sept. 18, at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

- - -

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press B次元官网网址 Fellowship.

Danielle Edwards, The Canadian Press