According to the Anishinaabe, the Windigo is a malevolent, supernatural spirit that can possess and transform people into greedy, cannibalistic creatures. The Windigo is also part of the inspiration behind Armand Garnet Ruffo’s first feature film. The Carleton professor who specializes in Native literature has spent the last six years producing, writing, and directing A Windigo Tale.
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in conjunction with the Department of English at Carleton University will be hosting a private screening of the film on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 7:00 p.m. at the Mayfair Theatre on Bank St. This event is open to the media and Carleton faculty, staff, students and alumni. Carleton I.D. or an invitation is required.
The fictional story revolves around a road trip in which a Native grandfather, Harold, who is desperate to save his troubled grandson Curtis from a life on the street, shares the dark secrets of their family and community. Focusing on the intergenerational impact of the residential school experience, the story Harold tells involves an estranged mother and daughter who must reunite to exorcise the dreaded Windigo spirit that is tied to their family’s painful past of abuse.
Prof. Ruffo is an accomplished Ojibway poet. His second book, Grey Owl: The Mystery of Archie Belaney (Coteau Books: Regina, 1997), garnered him national acclaim while his collection At Geronimo’s Grave, won the Lampman Award for Poetry in 2002. He first wrote A Windigo Tale as a play, winning a CBC Arts Performance Showcase award in 2001.
Producing the film on a shoe-string budget, in demanding conditions, Prof. Ruffo notes: “The move from stage to film was long and fraught with challenges.”
The movie was shot in two parts, the first on Six Nations Reserve with Steve McNamee as assistant producer and two years later in Ottawa and around Renfrew with Jean Versteeg. The first shoot was financed by grants from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, Warner Bros., RBC and The Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. Prof. Ruffo then raised money from government granting agencies to complete the filming while post-production costs were covered when his film was accepted as an editing project at the Banff Centre’s Digital Film and Media Production program.
He has been invited to send his film to the organizers of the Sundance Film Festival and the Reel World Film Festival in the hopes that he can showcase it at the official competitions next year.
A Windigo Tale stars Gary Farmer (Adaptation, One Dead Indian, Republic of Love, Smoke Signals, Dead Man), Andrea Menard (Rabbit Fall, Mocassin Flats, Velvet Devil), Jani Lauzon (Conspiracy of Silence, Death of A Chief, Philip Riccio, Diary of the Dead, Rent-a-Goldie), David Gardner (Perfect Pie, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story), Brandon Oakes (Patriotville, Pathfinder), Jon-Paul Kouri (The Border) and introduces writer Lee Maracle and new-comer Elliot Simon to the screen.
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For more information:
Lin Moody
Media Relations
Carleton University
613-520-2600, ext. 8705
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 in News Releases
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