By Katie Fedosenko
Bloodland, directed by Film Production student Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, has been accepted into the Riddu Riddu International Indigenous Festival in Norway and the Tulsa International Film Festival in Oklahoma.
The film addresses the global impact of gas and oil exploration with a focus on the hydraulic fracturing in Kainaiwa, otherwise known as the Blood Reserve, in Southern Alberta. Hydraulic fracturing is a process used to increase the rate of extracting and recovering oil, natural gas and coal seam gas from rock layers. In recent years, hydraulic fracturing has come under scrutiny because of the risks to health, safety and the environment.
“Bottom line, I think that it is critical we all work toward being less dependent on gas and oil and work toward developing sustainable lifestyles for our planet,” said Tailfeathers in an interview with the Tulsa International Film Festival.
Tailfeathers created Bloodland during UBC Film Production’s first year of the Rogers Project, in a class taught by Rogers Multicultural Teaching Fellow Dwayne Beaver. Students were tasked with creating films focused on First Nations topics. Tailfeathers’ film was shot with a completely Indigenous cast and crew.
