Fort William First Nation hosts Wapikoni mobile film studio

Young people from Fort William First Nation in northwestern Ontario are getting the chance to explore their cinematic side this month, thanks to a mobile film program.

Wapikoni is a mobile recording and filmmaking studio that roams the country, making stops in Indigenous communities, and helping young people to make short films or music videos. 

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It's a chance for participants to learn new skills, but also to build confidence and to work through emotions via storytelling, said Sabre Pictou, a youth outreach worker with the program. 

"It's a great tool to be used as expression," she said. "A lot of these participants are here to work through trauma, or their own stories."

"It's an ability to express feelings. That's the beauty of filmmaking."

Throughout the month of May, Wapikoni's silver trailer, which contains a recording studio and editing software, has been parked outside the community centre on Fort William First Nation. 

Pictou said the program has been very well received. About 20 young people are taking part, making both fiction and non-fiction films with the help of filmmaking mentors. 

To see other people come and be able to find something that they're passionate about is really amazing to see.-Erin Collins

"It's amazing," said Erin Collins, the local coordinator of the program, who works as a liaison between members of the community, and the visiting team. 

"I was a film student before, and so I already found joy in filmmaking. And so to see other people come and be able to find something that they're passionate about is really amazing to see."

Collins said she also sees the value in a program that gives youth that may be struggling a chance to express themselves.

"It's not easy living on a reserve, and so having an outlet to tell your story is really important."

In addition to helping coordinate the program, Collins is making a film of her own, a documentary about Steven Collins, a former Olympic ski jumper from Fort William. 

Wapikoni typically sets up in a community for about a month, but the team tries to build lasting relationships with youth, and to encourage them to carry on with film if that's what they want to do, said Pictou.

The completed films are posted on the organization's website, and are also entered into international competitions. Some Wapikoni films have been nominated for awards at Sundance, she said. 

The films made by youth at Fort William First Nation will also be shown at a screening in the community on May 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the community centre.