Annie Mae Pictou Aquash was a 30-year-old Nova Scotia-born Mi’qmaw woman and a prominent figure in the American Indian Movement (AIM) until her life was tragically cut short in 1975, when she was brutally murdered in South Dakota. Decades later, as the crime remains unsolved, her friends and family reflect on her life and what she meant to each of them. 

While remaining an intimate portrait of a loving mother and friend, The Spirit of Annie Mae also chronicles the history of AIM, and ways in which the government sought to destroy it from within.

The difficult existence of a pair of homeless drug addicts is shown with harsh honesty and surprising sensitivity in McKenzie’s highly acclaimed debut feature. Shot almost entirely in close-ups that capture the disorienting world these characters inhabit, McKenzie teases out intimate and intense performances that inspire empathy as well as concern.

Werewolf’s stark filmmaking never romanticizes the lives of junkies Blaise (Andrew Gillis) and Vanessa (Bhreagh MacNeil), preferring instead to capture the frustration and futility of their lives with a startling power.

Werewolf won the Toronto Film Critics Association prize for best Canadian film of the year.

“In plumbing the pitch black, Werewolf offers the distinct hope of a brighter future – at least, a brighter future for Canadian cinema.” – Barry Hertz, The Globe and Mail

This remarkable second feature from Bretten Hannam follows two-spirit Mi’kmaw teenager Link (Lewitski) on a remarkable journey of self discovery set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Annapolis Valley. After finding out that his estranged mother may be alive, Link and his brother (Winters-Anthony) escape from their abusive father and set out to find her, helped along their way by Pasmay (Odjick), a young drifter who helps Link come to terms with his newfound sexuality.

Adapted from Hannam’s award-winning short film Wildfire, this realistic coming of age story is full of hope, love and heartbreak, and is a bold addition to the new wave of Indigenous filmmaking.

“Brettan Hannam's glorious first feature catapults him into the pantheon of filmmakers to watch.” – Frank J. Avella, Edge Media Network