The Burnaby Public Library is paying tribute to National Aboriginal History Month with its Friday Flicks series in June.
The Tommy Douglas branch (7311 Kingsway) shows free movies every Friday night on a drop-in basis.
For June, those movies will cover a variety of Indigenous themes and issues.
On June 7, the library will screen Indian Horse, a 2017 adaptation of Richard Wagamese’s award-winning novel. It follows the life of young Saul Indian Horse, a talented hockey player, as he survives residential school and life amid the racism of the 1970s. The showing starts at 6:40 p.m.
On June 14, it’s Rabbit-Proof Fence, a 2002 film from Australia that tells the story of three young “half-caste” children who were taken away from their parents and taught to reinvent themselves as “white” – before deciding to journey back home to Western Australia on foot. The screening starts at 6:40 p.m.
On June 21, viewers can check out Smoke Signals, a 1998 film based on a story by Sherman Alexie. It follows the journey of two young Native Americans, Victor and Thomas, who leave their small town to retrieve the remains of Victor’s father. The showing starts at 6:50 p.m.
On June 28, it’s Atanarjuat, the Fast Runner, a 2001 Canadian film that retells an Inuit legend about a community cursed by a shaman – and the man who will be the community’s salvation. It was the first feature film made in the Inuktitut language and directed by Inuit filmmakers. The screening starts at 5:30 p.m.
No registration is required for any of the films. For more information, call 604-522-3971 or see www.bpl.bc.ca/events.
