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 the festival circuit
SCREENINGS / AWARDS
Winner of Outstanding Northern Ontario Short Film, Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival, Ontario, Canada, 2025.
Official Selection, Vancouver International Black Film Festival, British Columbia, Canada, 2025.
Official Selection, Red Nation International Film Festival, Los Angeles, California, United States, 2025.
Official Selection, Mentone International Film Festival, California, United States, 2025.
Official Selection, North Bay Film Festival, Ontario, Canada, 2025.
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
FUNDERS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS
SOCIAL MEDIA
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