Elle-Máijá Apiniskim Tailfeathers (born in 1986) is a

Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...

and

Sámi The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Rus ...

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, and producer from the Kainai First Nation in Canada. She has won several accolades for her film work, including multiple

Canadian Screen Awards The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

. Born in

Cardston, Alberta Cardston is a town in Alberta, Canada. It was first settled in 1887 by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who travelled from Utah, via the Macleod-Benton Trail, to present-day Alberta in one of the century' ...

, Tailfeathers began acting in the late 2000s before embarking on a career as a filmmaker. For directing ''

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open ''The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open'' ( Kwakʼwala: , se, Rumaš muitá go máilbmi rahtasii, Blackfoot: ) is a 2019 Canadian drama film written and directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn. The film centres on a c ...

'', she shared the

Canadian Screen Award for Best Director The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Achievement in Direction to the best work by a director of a Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards ...

with

Kathleen Hepburn Kathleen Hepburn is a Canadian screenwriter and film director. She first attracted acclaim for her film ''Never Steady, Never Still'', which premiered as a short film in 2015 before being expanded into her feature film debut in 2017.

. That film also won the

Toronto Film Critics Association The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) is an organization of film critics from Toronto-based publications. As of 1999, the TFCA is a member of the FIPRESCI. History The Toronto Film Critics Association is the official organization of Toront ...

's $100,000

Rogers Best Canadian Film Award The Rogers Best Canadian Film Award is presented annually by the Toronto Film Critics Association to the film judged by the organization's members as the year's best Canadian film. In 2012, the cash prize accompanying the award was increased to $10 ...

Early life

Tailfeathers was born to Bjarne Store-Jakobsen, a Sámi rights activist and journalist from Norway, and

Kainai The Kainai Nation (or , or Blood Tribe) ( bla, Káínaa) is a First Nations band government in southern Alberta, Canada, with a population of 12,800 members in 2015, up from 11,791 in December 2013. translates directly to 'many chief' (fro ...

activist and doctor Esther Tailfeathers, from Canada. Her parents met at a global indigenous peoples' conference in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and married sometime after.

Career

Tailfeathers studied acting at the

Vancouver Film School Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition. The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouver ...

, and graduated in 2006 and then moved on to the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

where she would graduate with a degree in First Nations studies and a minor in women and gender studies in 2011. After acting for a period of time, Tailfeathers shifted her focus to filmmaking and began to work as a writer, director, and producer. During her time at the University of British Columbia she started to use film equipment and

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

''Bloodland''

''Bloodland'' (2011) is an experimental

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

that offers a commentary on

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frack ...

practices in Canada and across the world. It can be found on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, where it was made public in 2013 in solidarity with the

Idle No More Idle No More is an ongoing protest Social movement, movement, founded in December 2012 by four women: three First Nations in Canada, First Nations women and one non-Native ally. It is a grassroots movement among the Indigenous peoples in Canad ...

movement. The short film uses metaphoric imagery of a woman being held down and drilled into as a comment on the current fracking practices in Canada. This project was funded by the Blood Tribe Chief and Council through a distribution cheque, and as a result was indirectly funded by the proceeds of various

gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

and

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

, as well as KRI Resources. The film was well received at its premier in

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

, and was the subject of a greater national debate regarding the practice of fracking in Indigenous lands. The film was selected for the following film festivals: *

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

2011 * ImagineNATIVE Film Festival 2011 *

American Indian Film Festival The American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco, California, United States. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated solely to Native American/First Nations films and prepared the way for the 1979 formati ...

2011 * L.A. Skins Festival 2011 * Tulsa International Film Festival 2011 * Yellowknife International Film Festival 2011 *

Riddu Riđđu Riddu Riđđu is an annual Sámi music and culture festival held in Olmmáivággi (Manndalen) in the Gáivuotna (Kåfjord) municipality in Norway. The goal of the festival is to bring forward both Sámi culture and that of other indigenous peopl ...

International Indigenous Peoples Festival 2011 (Norway) * Vancouver Indigenous Media Arts Festival 2011 * Skábmagovat Film Festival 2012 (Finland) * Vancouver Women in Film Festival 2012

''A Red Girl's Reasoning''

''A Red Girl's Reasoning'' (2012) is a short film that was created in response to the growing numbers of

missing and murdered Indigenous women Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is an epidemic of violence against Indigenous women in Canada, the United States, and Latin America; notably those in the FNIM (First Nations, Inuit, Métis) and Native American communities. Acros ...

in Canada. This film centres around a survivor of

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

and her quest to bring

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

to the attackers of her fellow women. While originally a short film, it is currently in the process of expanding into a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

. This film was the winner of the 2012 Vancouver Crazy8s Competition, where filmmakers were challenged to create a film in under eight days.

''Rebel (Bihttoš)''

Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; s ...

(Bihttoš)'' is an experimental and unconventional documentary where a young woman (Tailfeathers) explores her complex "relationship with her father through an examination of family photos and the family lore surrounding her parents’ courtship and marriage." ''Bihttoš combines "''animation, re-enactments, and archival photos, nddelves into the dissolution of her parents' mythic love story and how it has coloured her perception of love in her adult life." ''Bihttoš'' first screened at the imagineNATIVE film festival in 2014.

''cəsnaʔəm, the city before the city''

''cəsnaʔəm, the city before the city'' (2017) is a feature film on the history of the land in the area which is now known as

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. Made in partnership with

Musqueam First Nation The Musqueam Indian Band ( ; hur, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm ) is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations band government in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the only First Nations band whose reserve community lies within the boundari ...

, the film was part of a larger exhibition put on in partnership with the

Museum of Anthropology at UBC The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is renowned for its displays of world arts and cultures, in particular works by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. As well as ...

, the

Museum of Vancouver The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) (formerly the Vancouver Museum and prior to that the Centennial Museum) is a civic history museum located in Vanier Park, Vancouver, British Columbia. The MOV is the largest civic museum in Canada and the oldest museum ...

and the Musqueam Cultural Centre.

''The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open''

Co-directed with

, ''

'' centres on the interaction between Áila (Tailfeathers), an

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

woman with a stable and happy domestic life, and Rosie ( Violet Nelson), a more impoverished First Nations woman who has just been a victim of

domestic abuse Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...

, after they meet in the street. The majority of the film consists of one long, unbroken shot. The film premiered at the

2019 Berlin Film Festival The 69th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 7 to 17 February 2019. French actress Juliette Binoche served as the Jury President. Lone Scherfig's drama film '' The Kindness of Strangers'' opened the festival. The Golden Bea ...

in the Generation program, and had its Canadian premiere at the

2019 Toronto International Film Festival The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 September 2019. The opening gala was the documentary film '' Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band'', directed by Daniel Roher, and the festival closed with a ...

. It was nominated for six

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

s, including Best Motion Picture, and won three. For directing ''The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open'', Tailfeathers shared the

with Hepburn. That film also won the

's $100,000

Themes and issues

Her work has garnered attention for its focus on representations of women of colour, and her thematic focus on

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

subjects and issues. Tailfeathers explores "innovative means of telling stories through mediums including narrative fiction, docudrama, documentary, mockumentary, and experimental film." Her film projects are usually staffed primarily with

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

cast and production members, reflecting her emphasis on engaging with First Nations and Indigenous filmmakers. One of her primary focuses as a filmmaker is activism and

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

and approaches film as a way to "use it as a form of

nonviolent Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

direct action against issues like

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often consi ...

and degradation of Indigenous land." Her film and activist pursuits focus on issues that directly relate to and affect Indigenous women and communities.

Awards and recognition

She has won and been nominated for awards at various international film festivals, and has been recognized for her work rooted in social justice. Notable recognition has included receiving a Kodak Image Award, the Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award as an emerging filmmaker. She is included in CBC's "Young Indigenous Leaders: 5 Under 30 To Watch in 2015." Her autobiographical short film ''

(Bihttoš)'' was named one of the Top Ten short films at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. It was also awarded best documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2015. In 2017, Tailfeathers won a Canadian Screen Award for best actress for a dramatic program or limited series for her work in the CBC movie ''Unclaimed'', as well as an award for best performance at the Vancouver Women in Film Festival. At the 2019

, Tailfeathers and her co-director Kathleen Hepburn received the $25,000 Best BC Film Award for their film ''The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open''. Tailfeathers also won the $17,500 BC Emerging Filmmaker Award. At the

10th Canadian Screen Awards The 10th Canadian Screen Awards were held on April 10, 2022, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media production in 2021.Etan Vlessing"Maitreyi Ramakrishnan to Receive Canadian Screen Awards Special Honor" ''The Hollyw ...

in 2022 she won the

for

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

for her performance in '' Night Raiders'', and her documentary film '' Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy'' won the award for Best Feature Length Documentary.Adina Bresge
"'Scarborough' top film winner at Canadian Screen Awards"

CP24 CP24 is a Canadian English-language specialty news channel owned by Bell Media, a subsidiary of BCE Inc. and operated alongside the Bell-owned CTV Television Network's owned-and-operated television stations CFTO-DT (CTV Toronto) and CKVR-DT ( ...

, April 10, 2022.

Personal life

Tailfeathers divides her time between Vancouver Canada, the Blood Reserve, and Sapmi territory in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. She is active in advocating for issues affecting First Nations communities. In 2011, she was arrested for a participating in a peaceful

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are le ...

at the entrance of a drilling site in the Alberta Blood Reserve.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tailfeathers, Elle-Maija Living people Kainai Nation people Norwegian Sámi people Canadian people of Sámi descent Canadian women film directors Vancouver Film School alumni University of British Columbia alumni First Nations filmmakers First Nations actresses Sámi actors Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses Canadian Screen Award winners 21st-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian screenwriters Canadian women screenwriters Best Director Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian curators Canadian women curators First Nations screenwriters 1986 births Best Actress Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Documentary Film Canadian women documentary filmmakers