INDIGENOUS 150+ is a film and conversation series to honour First Nations, Inuit and Métis culture, history and teachings contributing to a movement to put Indigenous voices at the centre of Canada 150 commemorations and beyond. Its national launch will in be Owen Sound on June 22 at the Roxy Theatre at 8 p.m.
The initiative launches the day after National Aboriginal Day with a programme of three events in Owen Sound and another  two in Niagara Falls over July and August, with other events across Canada being planned. Founding partners in this national initiative are individuals and organizations from Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory, including the M'Wikwedong Native Cultural Centre, and the Great Lakes Métis Council. It offers an opportunity for Canadians to come together to learn more about the diverse range of Indigenous cultures across Canada and to recognize and acknowledge that the heritage of this land is much greater than 150 years.
"It's time that the rest of Canada gets to know the First Peoples," said Senator Ralph Wolf Thistle, Great Lake Métis Council in support of the series. "We are here all together and it's time to share and identify what we have in common."
INDIGENOUS 150+ launches with a screening of Michelle Latimer's Sacred Water: Standing Rock Part 1, a documentary film that "delivers profound insight into the perspectives of Indigenous water and land protectors and supporters that came together from all nations in an effort to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Together they strove to protect the Missouri River as well as sacred Indigenous sites and burial grounds."
A post-screening conversation will be led by Trish Nadjiwon Meekins - a member of Neyaashiinigming, a knowledge keeper for the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and advocate for environmental issues. Joining her will be filmmaker Cara Mumford and Water Protector Brendan Emmerson who recently returned from Standing Rock and who will share an inside perspective from the front lines and a deeper understanding of the Indigenous rights movement both at home and abroad.
"As a Canadian I feel a responsibility to educate myself and do what I can to contribute to an inclusive country. I am learning everyday and my life is much richer for it" - JoAnne Fishburn Founder of Indigenous 150+ and Good Influence Films
This is a unique opportunity, right here at home, to share in the conversations of reconciliation occurring all across the country.