'Abducted' star Joel Oulette (back row, third from left) poses with supporters from Miywasin Friendship Centre at the film's premiere at the Esplanade Saturday night.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
The art of storytelling has existed since the birth of language.
For thousands of years before the written word, our ancestors’ triumphs, sorrows and news was shared orally. Histories and knowledge were passed down for untold generations through storytelling and repetition. Through long winters, people gathered together around the fire to hear ancestral legends and cautionary tales that served to nurture survival.
A modern cautionary tale is told in a new Alberta-made independent film by Metis writer-director Daniel Foreman. The visionary behind Edmonton-based Treaty 6 Productions, Foreman spent a decade researching and writing ‘Abducted’. The suspenseful thriller illustrates themes of devotion to family and the dangers of “walking the Black Road,” an Indigenous teaching of the path of greed and insatiable desires that ultimately leads many to misfortune and early death.
‘Abducted’ highlights the unthinkable realities of female gangs, racism and violence against women that exist in many communities and disproportionately entrap Indigenous youth.
Shining through the film’s gritty subject matter is the standout Indigenous talent. Medicine Hat-born Metis actor Joel Oulette (CBC’s ‘Trickster’) makes his dramatic turn as Derrick Desjardins, a teenager who goes to desperate lengths to save his kidnapped sister Lakota (Olivia Kate Iatridis). Derrick is alternately aided and waylaid by a gang leader played by Edmonton actor, model and hip-hop artist Pooky G, who also performs her song “5th Chamber” on the film’s captivating soundtrack. A touch of the supernatural and genuine Indigenous elements are woven into a story that resonates with today’s headlines.
Supporters of the movie’s young talent and filmmakers gathered Saturday night at the Esplanade for Oulette’s hometown premiere. Applause and a standing ovation concluded the screening, followed by a Q&A with the film’s star Oulette, director Foreman and producer Sharlene Millang.
Millang says she is “super proud” of Treaty 6 Productions’ first feature film. “We’ve done several short films, created with the intention of learning something new that we could apply to the feature film.”
Director Foreman applauded his cinematographer Wes Doyle for seamlessly editing chilly night shoots at Wizard Lake with underwater scenes filmed in a pool. It is this post-production movie magic that helps this harrowing tale come alive.
Filming took off during a time when other movie projects ground to a halt. Shot in June of 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic, ‘Abducted’ was one of just two productions underway in all of North America. Young ‘Paw Patrol’ voice actor Will Brisbin joined the cast when flights to record his animated series in Los Angeles were cancelled.
“If it hadn’t been for COVID, the all-Alberta cast, crew and post-production team that we were able to assemble would have been flying all over the world doing other things,” explained Millang.
Seemingly shy during Q&A, Oulette said the movie-making experience is more comfortable for him than being onstage. “[Filming] is more intimate, less ‘live’. You can take as many takes as you need.”
Oulette’s older brother Grayson has a cameo in ‘Abducted’, and says being on set “was a really good experience overall.” Watching his younger brother in action, the elder Oulette says Joel “has good stress tolerance, emotional resilience, and is very determined to do the best at what he does, and I respect him a lot.”
The ‘Trickster’ star has a bright future ahead of him. Oulette was in Toronto this fall filming six episodes as Ben Taggart in the new children’s series ‘Ruby and the Well’, juxtaposing a concurrent shoot in Sault Ste Marie for the drug-fuelled thriller ‘Cascade’ by director Egidio Coccimiglio.
What comes next for the actor? “The sky’s the limit,” says Oulette of his ambition. “I’ve always had an interest in science fiction, that realm of film. Shooting aliens [would be cool].”
Where to watch: Treaty 6 Productions has secured Canadian and international distributor Animiki See, which is dedicated to promoting Indigenous Canadian productions and works closely with APTN (the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network). Look for ‘Abducted’ screening on APTN in 2022-23.
“Miywasin Moment” is devoted to amplifying Indigenous voices. Do you know someone with a story or project that ought to be shared in the News? Connect with me to carry on our storytelling.
JoLynn Parenteau is a Metis writer out of Miywasin Friendship Centre. Column feedback can be sent to jolynn.parenteau@gmail.com
