Can You Feel It Now?
In a speculative future, a First Nations Welcomer and an Arrivant from the African Diaspora redefine first contact, weaving a tapestry of solidarity and healing through their poetic exchange.
Set in a speculative future on Turtle Island, where ancestral dreams and visions shape reality, the film follows the poetic journey of the Welcomer, a vessel of First Nations resilience, and the Arrivant, a traveller from the African diaspora. The Welcomer, reflecting on the echoes of a past reshaped by colonization, envisions a future liberated from its violence. The Arrivant, seeking a place to anchor their journey through time and space, is drawn to the Welcomer’s vision.
When their paths finally cross, they redefine the moment of First Contact—not as a collision of the Uninvited but as a convergence of kindred spirits. Guided by the rhythm of poetry, the Welcomer and the Arrivant share their knowledge and teachings, fusing their identities, histories, and imagined futures into a vibrant tapestry of connection and healing. Through their poetic exchange, they create a sanctuary of solidarity that transcends mere survival, reclaiming the power to define what it means to encounter and be encountered.
Inspired by Afrofuturism and Indigenous Futurism, they envision a world that might have been—and still can be—where Black and Indigenous lives are intertwined in kinship, resistance, and the shared wisdom of their ancestors.
*This project is currently in post-production!
CREDITS
This film project was developed through a co-creation process led by Isak Vaillancourt, Connor Lafortune, and Ra’anaa Yaminah Ekundayo.
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Director and Producer - Isak Vaillancourt
Writer, Cast, and Language Specialist (Anishinaabemowin) - Connor Lafortune
Writer, Cast, and Finance Coordinator - Ra’anaa Yaminah Ekundayo
Cinematographer, Colourist, and VFX - Mathieu Taillefer
First Assistant Director - Riley McEwen
Editor - Bosmo Kosmerly
Composer - Emilio Portal
Production Assistants - Casey McGee, Sam Barry & Selina Stos
Makeup Artists - Melissa Dunwell & Adonia Dunwell
Illustrator - Jenelle Lewis
Archival Footage - G.E. Mortimore, Guelph University
FUNDERS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS
SOCIAL MEDIA
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