Portraits From A Fire

Portraits from a Fire

Winner of the Best Canadian Feature at the 2021 Edmonton International Film Festival, Portraits from a Fire is a deeply personal coming-of-age story that blends humor, grief, and resilience through the lens of an Indigenous youth discovering the truth about his past. Written and directed by Tsilhqot’in filmmaker Trevor Mack, the film captures the transformative power of storytelling as both an act of creation and healing.

The story follows Tyler (William Magnus Lulua), a young aspiring filmmaker living on a remote Indigenous reserve. Obsessed with making sci-fi home movies, Tyler’s world begins to shift when he befriends a new arrival who encourages him to dig into his family’s history. As old wounds resurface and long-held secrets are revealed, Tyler turns to filmmaking to make sense of his pain—and to reclaim his voice.

Mack’s direction is tender and poetic, infusing the film with moments of humor and heart amid its emotional depth. Featuring an almost entirely Indigenous cast and crew, Portraits from a Fire celebrates the importance of intergenerational connection and the courage it takes to face one’s past in order to move forward.

Visually rich and emotionally honest, Portraits from a Fire stands as a luminous reflection on identity, memory, and the power of art to illuminate the spaces between loss and love.

Filmed on the Tl’etinqox (Anaham) Reserve, British Columbia. Closed Captioned in English.

Screening With:

Skate Break

Student Shorts Showcase

A young man takes a break from work, skateboarding along to see his favorite Winnipeg murals.

4 mins 32s
Canada, 2021
Dir. Peatr Thomas
Language: English

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