July 21, 2026 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Two new National Film Board of Canada (NFB) documentaries by Indigenous creators will premiere together on August 6 at 7 p.m. at the NFB’s Alanis Obomsawin Theatre as part of the Présence autochtone International First Peoples Festival in Montreal.

The festival will host the world premiere of Nirilaurta: Let Us Eat, with Inuk filmmaker Malaya Qaunirq Chapman in attendance. In this documentary, Chapman explores how the people of Taloyoak, Nunavut, strengthen food security and sovereignty through Inuit culture and community. 

Screening at the festival in its Quebec debut is Moon Noonk Edouard (My Uncle Edouard) by Regina Michif filmmaker Jessie Ray Short, a documentary that reclaims the story of Edouard Beaupré, the “Willow Bunch Giant.”

And Sinakson Trevor Solway, a Blackfoot filmmaker from Siksika Nation, is eligible for the festival’s APTN Award for outstanding achievement in Indigenous cinema for his multi-award-winning feature documentary Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man, currently streaming on NFB.

The NFB will also act as a festival host for other events and screenings at the Alanis Obomsawin Theatre, located in Îlot Balmoral in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles.

Official selection

Nirilaurta: Let Us Eat by Malaya Qaunirq Chapman (52 min 10 s)
Inuktitut and English, with French subtitles
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/nirilaurta

• On the edge of the Arctic Ocean, the community of Taloyoak, Nunavut, is working to feed its families. Soaring grocery prices and the high cost of hunting and travel in the North leave many households facing food insecurity. Harvesting traditional foods from the land is central to Inuit culture and has kept families fed for countless generations. From breathtaking landscapes to intimate meals around the table, the beauty of Arctic life shines through as food brings together family, neighbours and community.
• Malaya Qaunirq Chapman is an Inuit actor, producer and emerging director from Iqaluit whose work bridges storytelling and cultural identity. She starred in Restless River (2019) and Aviliaq: Entwined (2014) and served as executive producer on Heaven’s Floor(2016), inspired by her own life. From early roles on the comedy show Qanurli to hosting acclaimed series and, most recently, her role as Auntie Eva on the hit TV show North of North, Chapman brings Northern voices to the screen with authenticity and passion. Nirilaurta is her first documentary.

Moon Noonk Edouard by Jessie Ray Short (35 min 27 s)
French and English with French subtitles
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/moon-noonk-edouard

• Moon Noonk Edouard is written and directed by the great-grandniece of legendary strongman and circus performer Edouard Beaupré (1881–1904)—also known as the “Willow Bunch Giant” and one of the tallest men in recorded history. Jessie Ray Short retraces her great-granduncle’s journey from his hometown in Saskatchewan to his tragic death at the Louis World’s Fair, and his bizarre posthumous voyage. In an act of healing, Beaupré’s loved ones share emotional memories and stories to restore his identity and reclaim his Michif heritage.
• Jessie Ray Short’s artistic process explores a variety of themes to examine the history and memories of Michif communities on the Prairies. Based in Regina, Short is a bilingual filmmaker descended from Michif lineage in Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan. Drawing on accounts from her/their family and the Michif community, Moon Noonk Edouard is the filmmaker’s attempt to mend the damage caused by dehumanizing stories about Beaupré that have been told and retold over the past century.

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Press release – PDF here.

Version française ici.