On generations of chronic injustice; the conversation that needs to be had regarding the First Nations people of Canada, and the healing needed in our time.
Brian J. Francis (White Bear) of Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick is an accomplished director, author and filmmaker.He is a Mi’gmaq language interpreter providing support to the general public as well as the first Mi’gmaq Interpreter for the House of Commons of Canada. His major concern is the survival of the Mi’gmaq people and their culture.
Brian managed the Juno award-winning Aboriginal recording artists Eagle Feather, the first Aboriginal group to be nominated. He’s considered a pioneer in Aboriginal music production.
Brian has produced, directed, and has written over seventy short documentaries along with two feature length documentaries. He developed Wabanaagig, a 13-part documentary series for APTN, which aired for three seasons. Two of the episodes written and directed were selected to screen at the Native American Film and Video Festival in New York and the ImagiNative Film Festival in Toronto.
He spearheaded the development and production of the APTN series, Eastern Tide and Circle of Justice, screened at seventeen film festivals around the world, debuted at the Smithsonian Institute and aired also on CBC and IFC. Brian also directed The Sacred Sundance for the National Film Board of Canada.
Brian‘s renowned nature photographs are the main subject of his book, entitled Between Two Worlds: Photographs and Spiritual Quotes.
Most recently, Brian received the prestigious Dialogue New Brunswick Governor General Award for his extensive work and accomplishment in preservation of the Mi’kmaq language and his role as Indigenous Liaison.
Brian’s paintings are mainly a reflection and depiction of his dreams and visions. Highly spiritual in nature and deep in texture and color, the work is derived from another plane of consciousness and resonates with a spiritually sensitive viewer.
