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Brian J. Francis (1)
Brian J. Francis
“I decided to become a filmmaker because I saw a need to provide an avenue for elders to express themselves,” says Brian J. Francis, a Mi’kmaq filmmaker from the Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick. His director/producer credits include The Sacred Sundance: The Transfer of a Ceremony (2008), Circle of Justice and Eastern Tide, an APTN series that explores various aspects of contemporary Mi’kmaq life. Selected episodes premiered at the 2003 edition of New York City’s Native American Film and Video Festival. Francis has produced recordings for his brother’s band, Hubert Francis and Eagle Feather, and other Indigenous musicians.
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The Sacred Sundance: The Transfer of a CeremonyBrian J. Francis 2008 1 h 9 minThis feature-length documentary chronicles the Sundance ceremony brought to Eastern Canada by William Nevin of the Elsipogtog First Nation of the Mi'kmaq. Nevin learned from Elder Keith Chiefmoon of the Blackfoot Confederacy in Alberta. Under the July sky, participants in the Sundance ceremony go four days without food or water. Then they will pierce the flesh of their chests in an offering to the Creator. This event marks a transmission of culture and a link to the warrior traditions of the past.
