LGM Film Club, Part 521: Augusta

Augusta is a short film from 1976, directed by Anne Wheeler. Augusta herself is an 88 year old Secwépmec woman, a tribe in northern British Columbia. This film shows her life as one of the last speakers of her language, the poverty she’s faced, how she has managed to survive the genocide against her people, and how she became an elder in the community. It’s a pretty basic documentary in one way, but in another, it’s a critically important document showing the impact of colonialism on the First Nations of Canada at a moment when the last people who lived that initial transition were passing from the scene.

Incidentally, in writing this post, I discovered that the National Film Board of Canada has a streaming site where you can watch quite a bit of film for free. So thats pretty cool.