Niitstitapi
Niitstitapi (The Real People) journeys across the vast ancestral territory of The Blackfoot Confederacy – an ancient alliance of Blackfoot speaking people bound together by land, language, and culture.
Synopsis: The Blackfoot Confederacy is an ancient and modern alliance among Blackfoot peoples who are today separated into four nations – the Kainai, Siksika, and Piikani nations are in Canada and the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. These four tribes share a common language, culture, and ancestral territory – a land base roughly the size of Texas. Through voices from both elders and youth, this short documentary film explores the past, present and future these Nations share around the protection of their way of life.
Country of Origin: United States
BRYAN GUNNAR COLE, Director
Synopsis: The Blackfoot Confederacy is an ancient and modern alliance among Blackfoot peoples who are today separated into four nations – the Kainai, Siksika, and Piikani nations are in Canada and the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. These four tribes share a common language, culture, and ancestral territory – a land base roughly the size of Texas. Through voices from both elders and youth, this short documentary film explores the past, present and future these Nations share around the protection of their way of life.
Country of Origin: United States
BRYAN GUNNAR COLE, Director
Bryan Gunnar Cole is a filmmaker, creative director, and educator with over 25 years of experience in film, television, and digital media. As a filmmaker, his work in both narrative and documentary film has premiered theatrically, screened in festivals worldwide, broadcast on premium cable networks and streamed on all major platforms. His commercial work includes Spots and Premium Content for national and regional clients. As an educator, he was most recently Associate Professor, Film, TV, and Digital Media and Director of Production of the MFA Film Program at the University of Georgia. He earned his BA in Film Studies from Yale University and his MFA in Film and TV from New York University. He is currently Senior Producer and Director of Production (interim) at Nia Tero.
Director Statement
As Senior Producer of the Wayfinders Circle films, I’ve had the immense privilege to work on all the films in the series; each with their unique story and point of view. While each production began as conversations with and among Wayfinders Circle Members and Conveners, Niitsitapi is unique because the film itself unfolds like a conversation. Over emails, zoom meetings, phone calls and visits to Blackfoot territory, we collaborated with knowledge keepers in the film to tell a simple story about the ancient alliance of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the devastating effects of colonialism, and the land, language, and culture that sustains the Blackfoot way of life now and into the future.
Director Statement
As Senior Producer of the Wayfinders Circle films, I’ve had the immense privilege to work on all the films in the series; each with their unique story and point of view. While each production began as conversations with and among Wayfinders Circle Members and Conveners, Niitsitapi is unique because the film itself unfolds like a conversation. Over emails, zoom meetings, phone calls and visits to Blackfoot territory, we collaborated with knowledge keepers in the film to tell a simple story about the ancient alliance of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the devastating effects of colonialism, and the land, language, and culture that sustains the Blackfoot way of life now and into the future.