The Trail & District Arts Council is honoured to present the documentary “Older than the Crown” that follows the Sinixt people’s fight for their legal right to exist in their homelands of Canada.
After the deliberate separation and an unjust declaration of extinction, the Sinixt people return to their ancestral land in Canada to continue practicing and protecting their aboriginal rights.
“Older Than The Crown” follows the trial of Sinixt tribal member Rick Desautel who in 2010 was charged with hunting as a non-resident and without a proper permit in Canada. Rick harvested an elk on the ancestral land of the Sinixt people in Vallican, British Columbia. To the Sinixt, hunting on ancestral land is an aboriginal right gifted to them by Creator. It’s a right that has legally been denied to the Sinixt people since 1956 when the Canadian government unjustly declared them extinct in Canada, despite the nearly 3,000 members existing on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State. Now with the Desautel Hunting Case, the Sinixt people have a chance to not only bring light to their unjust extinction by the Canadian government but also to abolish the declaration completely.
Watch the trailer https://vimeo.com/386394687.
This is a choose Your Price event ($5, $10, $15 or $20 per person). Attendees must register in advance in person at the box office or at thebailey.ca. Please note if purchased online, there is a $1 ticketing convenience fee.
The doc is 1 hour in length and will have a pre-screening welcome and post screening 30-minute talkback with filmmakers Derrick LaMere and Shelly Boyd, with the opportunity to ask questions.
Learn more about the documentary at https://www.olderthanthecrown.com/.
Derrick LaMere (Executive Producer & Director) is a Native American filmmaker (“Rocky Boy”, “Little Shell”, “Sinixt”, “Entiat”, “Wenatchi”) from Spokane, Washington. His award-winning documentary work has included official selections to more than 35 film festivals internationally.
Shelly Boyd (Producer) is a member of the Sn̓ʕay̓ ckstx (Sinixt/Arrow Lakes) band of the Colville tribe. Shelly is the Arrow Lakes Cultural Facilitator for the Colville Tribes and her work revolves around the recently reversed declaration of extinction of Sn̓ʕay̓ckstx people in Canada. Shelly grew up on the Colville Reservation with her six siblings, mother, Grandmother, Grandfather and Great Grandmother. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University and a Masters in Education from Gonzaga University.
Monday Cinema is sponsored by Wellington-Altus Private Wealth and MP Wealth Advisory. This screening is supported by funding from the BC Arts Council.