Cinema-on-wheels rolls into Winnipeg to showcase films by Indigenous youth

A travelling cinema showcasingshort films made by Indigenous youth will be rolling its way into the Forks in Winnipeg Tuesday night.

Projectionists Evan Kuakuapishish Launireand Mathilde Benignushave been travelling in a camper van,taking Wapikoni's "cinema on wheels" to various First Nations in Manitoba for the last month.

They say it'san opportunity to showcase the diversity of amateur Indigenous film talent from across the country.

"It's really nice to see stories from different people from different communities," said Launire, who is Innu.

Wapikoni is a non-profit organization based inMontreal. The organization delivers workshops in Indigenouscommunities, helping Indigenous youth turninitial ideas into fully edited short films.

Once finished, Wapikoni takes these films on the road to Indigenous communities for viewing parties.

According to its website, one of Wapikoni's missionsis to "combat isolation and suicide among First Nations youth while developing artistic, technical, social, and professional skills."

Tuesday'sevent will feature up to 15, three- to five-minute short films made by the Indigenous communities they have visited.

Launire said a lot of the films the youth have created have been political in nature.

"You always come up to political stuff and things about our territory, and the land and how we use it and what the government is doing with it," said Launire.

"I think it's really nice because of that, because it's very political, and we can see the voices of many people."

The free screeningstarts at 8p.m. at the Oodena Circle at The Forks.

The tour will spend the rest of the summertravelling throughout Ontario and Quebec.