Nitassinan
The mission of the Centre d'art et essai de la Cinémathèque québécoise (CAECQ) is to primary program Quebec-made documentaries and independent fiction, as well as international documentaries, animated and foreign films, while encouraging opportunities for meetings between the public and the artists. Its programming is presented in conjunction with the Cinémathèque québécoise’s under the label New releases.
Opening Film, Présence autochtone 2026
This latest film by award-winning Indigenous poet and filmmaker Josephine Bacon stands as both a love letter to the land and a testimony of an Innu history that is still unfolding.
Joséphine Bacon
Joséphine Bacon is an Innu poet from Pessamit, born in 1947. A filmmaker and lyricist, she is considered a leading author in Quebec. She worked as a translator and interpreter with elders, those who hold traditional knowledge, and wisely learned to listen to their words. She has written several poetry collections, including Bâtons à message · Tshissinuatshitakana (2009), for which she received the Prix des lecteurs du Marché de la poésie de Montréal in 2010 for her poem Dessine-moi l’arbre; Nous sommes tous des sauvages (2011), in collaboration with José Acquelin; and Un thé dans la toundra · Nipishapui nete mushuat (2013), finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Grand Prix du livre de Montréal. Her collection, Uiesh · Somewhere (2018), earned her the 2019 Booksellers' Prize. With Kau Minuat · Once More (2023), Joséphine Bacon reinvents her world. Far from Innu legends, the elder poet settles between the seasons and moves slowly forward in a meditation on the tree, time, and silence. In 2023, she received the prestigious Molson Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts for her invaluable contribution to literature.
Bio & photo: Maison4tiers
Kim O'Bomsawin
Abenaki from Odanak, Kim O'Bomsawin completed a master's degree in sociology before pursuing her career as a documentary filmmaker. Kim directed and scripted the feature-length documentary Je m'appelle humain (2020), a sensitive portrait of Innu poet Joséphine Bacon. She also directed the 4-part documentary series Telling Our Story, selected at TIFF in 2023. In 2024, she won the Best Canadian Documentary Award (VIFF) and the Magnus-Isacsson Award (RIDM) for her film Ninan Auassat: Nous, les enfants. Since 2020, Kim is also producer and the president of Nikan Productions, formerly Terre Innue.
Bio: Maison4tiers
