An Indigenous filmmaker from Peepeekisis First Nation has been awarded up to $16,000 in cash and approximately $10,000 of in-kind services for his new film as part of the IndigiDocs program run by the National Screen Institute (NSI).
Peter Brass and his documentary called Good Boys were chosen to receive the funding after moving on to phase 2 of the training program.
Brass will also get to pick an industry mentor to help him complete the film.
“It’s very exciting to be chosen,” Brass said. “This is the final stage. I haven’t chosen who I’m going to be mentored by. It’s something I’m really looking forward to. There’s a lot of strong voices that I would be very happy to work with.”
Good Boys is about three Indigenous single fathers trying to figure out how to raise their sons after the death of Colten Boushie and the trial of Gerald Stanley.
“It’s about the journey of raising a young boy in a healthy way,” Brass said. “It’s in the early stages. The idea is using the Colten Boushie case as context. I’m hoping that it communicates a resilience and a healthy outlook on Indigenous men, and how they see their roles as fathers and as mentors to their young boys as they grow up. “
Good Boys is being filmed in Regina, where Brass currently lives.
Brass is one of four Canadian filmmakers to advance to phase 2 of the NSI IndigiDocs program.
Brass was inspired to apply for the program after hearing about the success of his friend Candy Fox.
Fox is an Indigenous director from Regina and she directed a film called ahkâmêyimo nitânis/Keep Going My Daughter through the program.
Ahkâmêyimo nitânis/Keep Going My Daughter premiered at the 2019 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
(PHOTO: Peter Brass. Photo courtesy of NSI-Canada.ca)