How do you say ‘cat’ in Blackfoot? POOS, an animated film by Celestine Twigg, screens at CIFF
An animated short about a cat named Thumper that’s narrated in Blackfoot is hitting the festival circuit this fall, including a Monday screening at the Calgary International Film Festival.
Created by Celestine Twigg, a Blackfoot language teacher at Piikani Nation Secondary School, POOS tells the story of a cat who dreams about Blackfoot culture, stories and philosophy.
Celestine Twigg, who teaches Blackfoot language at Piikani Nation Secondary School, is one of the creators of POOS. (Photo: Xstine Cook)
It’s a follow-up to the successful launch of the Blackfoot Language Animation Project (BLAP), a collaboration between Xstine Cook and Calgary Animated Objects Society (CAOS) in 2020-23, which resulted in over 100 short cartoons that illustrate different nouns and concepts with Blackfoot language narration, which were created by students in Fort Macleod and animators around the world.
Twigg worked with Xstine Cook to raise funding to make a longer film and to assemble a Blackfoot animation all-star team that included language keeper Harrison Red Crow, artist Adrian Stimson, musician Lance Tailfeathers, animator Tank Standing Buffalo, editor Neil Evenson, illustrator Tonka Pirtikoski and her son, Troy Emery Twigg.
POOS tells the story of Thumper, a cat who dreams in Blackfoot. (Photo: Xstine Cook)
The group worked together to develop a storyline, artwork, storyboards, script (in English and Blackfoot), animation, soundtrack and voice recordings.
“POOS is a beautiful example of Blackfoot storytelling,” said Stimson, in a media release, “through animation, the transference and preservation of the language is so important for the survival of the Blackfoot way of being.”
Cook co-wrote the script with Celestine and Troy Emery Twigg, who died last Aug. 30.
Choreographer, dancer, writer, actor and teacher Troy Emery Twigg, one of the founding members of Making Treaty 7, will be remembered at a memorial at Fort Calgary Saturday, Nov.4 at 3 p.m. (Photo: Making Treaty 7)
He was an award-winning dancer, actor and director who has performed around the world and was one of the founders of and a past artistic director of Making Treaty 7, Calgary’s only Indigenous-run theatre company.
POOS is dedicated to his memory.
The production team of POOS, which screens at the Calgary International Film Festival Monday night at Scotiabank Chinook cinema 10 at 7:45 p.m.
It will be screened as part of Shorts: Alberta Spirit at 7:45 p.m. Monday, at Scotiabank Chinook, Cinema 10.
It is also being screened at the New West Film Festival in New Westminster, B.C., in October and at the Red Nation International Film Festival in Los Angeles in November.
For more information about the Calgary International Film Festival, go here.
To donate to a fund for travel to attend the POOS screening in Los Angeles, go here.
To view BLAP cartoons, go here.
For POOS tickets, go here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Tensions flare between Poilievre and Singh in the House after NDP says it will back Trudeau Liberals
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got into a heated exchange in the House of Commons on Thursday, just minutes after Singh announced his party would not be supporting the Conservatives' first non-confidence motion against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
'It's disgusting': Quebec minister reacts after body of boy, 14, found near Hells Angels hideout
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
Missing six-year-old boy disappeared after school breakfast program: Manitoba RCMP
Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.
Woman dead, toddler uninjured following B.C. police shooting, watchdog says
B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.
PM Trudeau names Anita Anand transport minister after Pablo Rodriguez quits cabinet
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped Treasury Board President Anita Anand to take on additional duties as Canada's minister of transport on Thursday.
Canadian women among those who allege Harrods boss sexually abused them
CTV News has learned there are multiple Canadian women alleging they were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the late Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including machine-guns
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including more than 120 handguns and at least five fully automatic weapons like machine-guns.
Shohei Ohtani becomes the first major league player with 50 homers, 50 stolen bases in a season
Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, with the Los Angeles Dodgers star going deep twice to reach the half-century mark and swiping two bags to get to 51 against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Francois Legault wants the Trudeau government to fall
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.