logo
  • Explore
    • Local Events
    • Local News
    • Local Organisations
  • News
    • Community
    • Local Government
    • Sports
    • Alberta Politics
    • Opinion
    • Deke
  • Peaks & Valleys
    • Wildlife
    • Snow Sports
    • Hiking and Climbing
    • Biking
    • Fishing
  • Culture
    • Jasper Arts & Culture
    • Local Dining
    • Local Literature
  • Jasper History
    • Explore
      • Local Events
      • Local News
      • Local Organisations
    • News
      • Community
      • Local Government
      • Sports
      • Alberta Politics
      • Opinion
      • Deke
    • Peaks & Valleys
      • Wildlife
      • Snow Sports
      • Hiking and Climbing
      • Biking
      • Fishing
    • Culture
      • Jasper Arts & Culture
      • Local Dining
      • Local Literature
    • Jasper History
Resilient filmmaker sees hope through hardship
Filmmaker Len Morissette at the Jasper screening of Resilient. // Matt Quiring
Arts and Culture, Jasper Arts & Culture, Jasper History
By Bob Covey
Tuesday, July 6, 2021
Resilient filmmaker sees hope through hardship

When Len Morissette was given the chance to produce and direct a documentary that would tell the complicated, calamitous story of the Aseniwuche Winewak Nation (AWN), he had a variety of reactions.

“I was honoured, but I was also scared,” the 43-year-old Grande Prairie-based filmmaker said. 

Tasked with condensing a century’s worth of history into a feature length documentary, showcasing the uncomfortable truths of the Canadian government’s policies towards local Indigenous People, and bridging the gap between community elders and AWN youth rediscovering their traditional values, Morissette said the key to moving the film’s production forward was to keep it simple.

“We said ‘let’s tell the truth, let’s not get into the weeds, let’s stick to the simple facts.’” 

The new documentary, Resilient, tells how Indigenous People were forced out of Jasper National Park and their traditional practices, such as hunting, were deemed unlawful by the government of the day. // AWN Archive

Building off of those facts—such as the fact that Indigenous and Metis people were lied to, then evicted from what is now known as Jasper National Park by government officials in the early part of the 20th Century; the fact that after relocating to the area now known as Grande Cache the AWN were further oppressed and marginalized when the coal mine and the town developed there in 1959; and the fact that even today, many members of the AWN do not have access to clean drinking water—Morissette and his team worked to build a film that would convey not only the hardships the AWN have faced, but the healing and the hope that have come out of the community despite them. 

The result is Resilient: The Aseniwuche Winewak Nation Story. On National Indigenous People’s Day, June 21, Morissette and his team of filmmakers, which included his business partner and co-director, Ryan Dalgleish; camera operator and sound editor, Jacobus Kroeskamp; and grip Charlie Soto; sat alongside a small, spellbound audience in Grande Cache’s Tourism and Interpretive Centre where the documentary made its humble debut. 

AWN President Tom McDonald is featured in the film and introduced the screening on National Indigenous People’s Day. // Jacobus Kroeskamp, CIA Solutions

“This has been a long time coming,” said AWN President, Tom McDonald. “A lot of our history has been told by other people. This is our first attempt to tell it ourselves.”

Morissette, who grew up in a city environment, detached from his Cree roots, has experience telling the stories of urban Indigenous youth. When he learned of the AWN’s story, he said many of its overarching themes were familiar to him.

Changemakers // Director Len Morissette with one of the young subjects in Resilient: The Aseniwuche Winewak Nation Story. // Jacobus Kroeskamp, CIA Solutions

“As an urban Indigenous person, you’re sort of lost in this non-identity,” he said. “What I saw with the Aseniwuche is they’re similar, they’re in this in-between world.”

To this day, the AWN are “non-status,” meaning they were never part of a treaty or included in Metis legislation in Alberta. Morissette hopes his film will play a small part in helping change that.

“My hope for them is there’s more awareness, that they get the support they need and the recognition they deserve,” he said.

AWN Elders on set of the new documentary, Resilient: The Aseniwuche Winewak Story. // Len Morissette

World events in 2020/21 have set the stage for an awakening, Morissette believes. In many respects, the pandemic was the great equalizer. All of a sudden, anyone could get sick and die. All of a sudden, people’s lives were restricted. While new realities for many Canadians, these difficulties were not unfamiliar to oppressed Indigenous People, he said. Furthermore, waves of civic unrest have highlighted systemic racism in institutions across North America, and more recently, grisly discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves have forced Canadians to reckon with the legacy of Indian Residential Schools. 

“What’s happening now is our conscience is evolving through education,” Morissette said. 

Part of that education is sitting with the truths of what colonizers did to Indigenous People, including here in Jasper National Park. But Resilient isn’t pointing fingers. Rather, it’s simply honouring the past.

Behind the scenes with one of the film’s subjects who shows bridges being built between community elders and AWN youth rediscovering their traditional values. // Jacobus Kroeskamp, CIA Solutions

“I think reconciliation is important to open people’s eyes, ears and hearts and lay it out there,” he said. “Indigenous People have to honour their ancestry by making things better and non-Indigenous have to honour their mistakes and try to correct them.”

Morissette isn’t just spouting empty platitudes. As the current president of the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre, where the organization has a mission to bridge the cultural gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous people through a variety of initiatives, he helps promote understanding among different communities. As a filmmaker and modern-day storyteller, he feels a responsibility to get things right when he uses his voice. And as a father, he knows the work we put in today will allow tomorrow’s leaders to create change. Encompassing all of his endeavours, Morissette is guided by the Seven Sacred Teachings: Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility and Truth. 

“As a community, as a nation, we have to work together for future generations,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard to look at ourselves in the mirror but when we do it with forgiveness in our hearts and love for ourselves we can do great things and change what we see.” 

You can watch Resilient, The Aseniwuche Winewak Nation Story here.

Bob Covey //thejasperlocal@gmail.com

Articles You May LIke ›
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
News
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 5, 2023
Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr has declined a private offer to rebuild a washed-out bridge at Simon Creek, a structure which would allo...
this is a test
Tongue Trickster: Jasper author searching with language and levity
Arts and Culture
Tongue Trickster: Jasper author searching with language and levity
Bob Covey 
Saturday, April 23, 2022
In Jasper, a trickster is about. Just ask Joe Urie—although be warned…you might not get a straight answer. Illustration: Joe Urie and Ed Duchoslav Whi...
this is a test
UpLift Mural Festival books renown Indigenous muralist
Arts and Culture
UpLift Mural Festival books renown Indigenous muralist
Bob Covey 
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Indigenous artist Kalum Teke Dan is accustomed to a big stage. The canvasses on which the 48-year-old Alberta-based artist paints his murals on have i...
this is a test
Indigenous documentary to be screened on church tower
Arts and Culture
Indigenous documentary to be screened on church tower
Bob Covey 
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
National Truth and Reconciliation Day event an opportunity for learning together On National Truth and Reconciliation Day Jasper will have the opportu...
this is a test
Most Read ›
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
News
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 5, 2023
Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr has declined a private offer to rebuild a washed-out bridge at Simon Creek, a structure which would allo...
this is a test
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Local Government
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Bob Covey 
Monday, May 15, 2023
West Yellowhead’s NDP candidate Fred Kreiner has elected not to participate in Jasper’s scheduled all-candidates forum. “I’ve decided and the NDP part...
this is a test
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Community
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Bob Covey 
Monday, April 24, 2023
A helicopter transporting Natural Resources Canada glacier surveyors had a hard landing on an icefield in Banff National Park April 14. The accident l...
this is a test
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Opinion
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Re: Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper's superintendent (May 5, 2023) Dear Editor, This is an excellent article in The Jasper Local. I am...
this is a test
Latest ›
Letter: Maintaining the Athabasca Pass Heritage Trail
Opinion
Letter: Maintaining the Athabasca Pass Heritage Trail
Thursday, May 18, 2023
re: Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent (May 5, 2023)  Dear Editor, The Athabasca Pass Heritage Trail is a Canadian icon ...
this is a test
Store manager leaving a legacy of customer care
Store manager leaving a legacy of customer care
Bob Covey 
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Rick Lagace has stocked his last shelf. The store manager at TGP Your Jasper Grocer is retiring. Over hotdogs and pop in the TGP parking lot, Lagace s...
this is a test
Forty and fabulous: Mountain Air an OG of Jasper retail
Business
Forty and fabulous: Mountain Air an OG of Jasper retail
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Mountain Air stands as one of Jasper’s most unique, well-established shopping locations. Having celebrated the store’s 40th anniversary recently, the ...
this is a test
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Local Government
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Bob Covey 
Monday, May 15, 2023
West Yellowhead’s NDP candidate Fred Kreiner has elected not to participate in Jasper’s scheduled all-candidates forum. “I’ve decided and the NDP part...
this is a test

NEXT ARTICLE

New documentary brings long overdue light to blind spot in local history

Arts and Culture, Jasper Arts & Culture, Jasper History

Most Read ›
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
News
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 5, 2023
Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr has declined a private offer to rebuild a washed-out bridge at Simon Creek, a structure which would allo...
this is a test
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Local Government
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Bob Covey 
Monday, May 15, 2023
West Yellowhead’s NDP candidate Fred Kreiner has elected not to participate in Jasper’s scheduled all-candidates forum. “I’ve decided and the NDP part...
this is a test
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Community
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Bob Covey 
Monday, April 24, 2023
A helicopter transporting Natural Resources Canada glacier surveyors had a hard landing on an icefield in Banff National Park April 14. The accident l...
this is a test
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Opinion
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Re: Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper's superintendent (May 5, 2023) Dear Editor, This is an excellent article in The Jasper Local. I am...
this is a test
Latest ›
Perfect pitch: Jasper golfer an ambassador for women and deaf athletes
News
Perfect pitch: Jasper golfer an ambassador for women and deaf athletes
Women’s Golf Day at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club is June 6
Bob Covey 
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Dressed in Sunday red, balanced perfectly on her follow-through and watching her golf ball arc above a stand of aspens on the hardest ranked hole at S...
this is a test
Team Orange has the blues: Low voter turnout in Neverland
Alberta Politics
Team Orange has the blues: Low voter turnout in Neverland
Bob Covey 
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Despite pundits calling this election the most important in Alberta’s history, only one in four eligible Jasperites made the trip down to the Jasper A...
this is a test
Undying loyalty to political parties (and hockey teams) is bad for Alberta
Editorial
Undying loyalty to political parties (and hockey teams) is bad for Alberta
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 26, 2023
Confession time: for as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Calgary Flames fan. It’s not my fault! When you’re eight-years-old and your dad is dancing...
this is a test
GYPSD trustees question Alberta charter schools
GYPSD trustees question Alberta charter schools
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 26, 2023
Grande Yellowhead Public School Division’s board of trustees is speaking out against publicly-funded charter schools. In an opinion piece run in regio...
this is a test

Copyright © The Jasper Local

This site complies with Jasper requirements
Contact us
Privacy Policy
Advertise With Us
About The Jasper Local
Accessibility Policy
This site complies with Jasper requirements
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • About The Jasper Local
  • Accessibility Policy

Follow Us

Advertise with us

Measurable, targeted, local. Email example@thejasperlocal.com

ePaper
coogle_play
app_store

© Copyright The Jasper Local