Apayauq

2022 • United States • 14 min • Andrew Harrison-Brown

Michigan Premiere

For time immemorial, climbing has been a traditional activity for Kanaka Maoli. While history shows Native Hawaiians climbed over mountains and scrambled rocks to trade goods and information with their neighbors, today few Indigenous members of the tropical islands practice climbing actively. For Skye Kolealani Razon-Olds, climbing is a way to connect with her ancestors. With few “official” outdoor climbing spaces on the island of Hawaii, Skye and her friends make due by visiting local State and National Parks to climb. It is here that the discovery of various petroglyphs left by her ancestors ignited her to protect and advocate for these sacred lands for her own sons and generations to come.

2022 • United States • 11 min • Andrew Harrison-Brown

Michigan Premiere, Family Friendly

As one of only 30 fluent Squamish language speakers left in Squamish Nation, Myia Antone teaches as a way to preserve her language for generations to come. Seeking to learn more about her culture and language, Myia uses her mountain bike as a needle weaving through her ancestral lands and language. While biking with other Indigenous women, Myia utilizes the Squamish language to point out geographical features and native plants on rides. Weaving complex conversations through nuanced layers of generational trauma, Inseparable ultimately paints Indigenous joy and community as vital elements for a path forward.

2023 • United States • 19 min • Oliver Sutro, Colin Arisman

Michigan Premiere

Indigenous people and salmon have been intertwined for thousands of years in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Today, kids learn from elders to fish but must also learn to fight, as pollution from Pebble Mine threatens this pristine ecosystem. Can the next generation defend the most prolific salmon run left on earth?