Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy — with Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers

04/27/21 • 36 min

Blackfoot and Sámi writer, actor, producer and director, Elle–Máijá Tailfeathers joins host Am Johal on this episode of Below the Radar to talk about her latest film Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy. Together they discussed how Tailfeathers created the feature documentary film, which takes place in her community of Kainai First Nation in Southern Alberta, and look at the impacts of the drug-poisoning epidemic over a period of four years in that community. Elle–Máijá shares her own process of narrative sovereignty as an Indigenous filmmaker, a process rooted in conversation, deep listening, accountability and that is also respectful of community protocols. She also talks about how she implemented the Blackfoot concept of Kímmapiiyipitssini, working from a place of empathy, love and understanding, to her practice and how her previous works influenced this film. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/118-elle-maija-tailfeathers.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/118-elle-maija-tailfeathers.html Resources: — Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy https://www.nfb.ca/film/kimmapiiyipitssini-the-meaning-of-empathy/ — Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers https://elle-maija-tailfeathers.com/?page_id=311 — Hotdocs Film Festival- Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy https://boxoffice.hotdocs.ca/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=141695~367cbc04-eb03-453a-90f8-88ca48c4cf79&epguid=9759e3f1-085c-4e15-88c2-e02a8ee1f1d1& — c̓əsnaʔəm, the city before the city https://www.knowledge.ca/program/city-city — Mavericks, Season 2, Episode: Dr. Esther Tailfeathers: Blood Reserve https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPhIT0bfzJw Bio: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers is a writer, director, producer and actor. She is a member of the Kainai First Nation (Blood Tribe, Blackfoot Confederacy) as well as Sámi from Norway. She was named the 2018 Sundance Film Institute’s Merata Mita Film Fellow and is an alumnus of the Berlinale Talent Lab and the Hot Docs Accelerator Lab. Her short documentary Bihttoš was selected as one of TIFF’s Top Ten Canadian shorts and also won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short at the Seattle International Film Festival. She acted in and co-wrote and co-directed (with Kathleen Hepburn) the narrative feature The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, which premiered at the Berlinale in 2019 and received the Toronto Film Critics Association and Vancouver Film Critics Circle awards for best Canadian film. It was also nominated for six Canadian Screen Awards, and Tailfeathers and Hepburn won the CSAs for best direction and best original screenplay. The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open was picked up for distribution by Ava DuVernay’s company, ARRAY, and is available to stream on Netflix in the United States. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy.” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, April 27, 2021. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/118-elle-maija-tailfeathers.html.

Previous Episode

The Power of Disability Part 1 — with Victoria Maxwell

Al Etmanski interviews Victoria Maxwell, the Bipolar Princess. They discuss the role of art and creativity in the process of change, the dramatic increase in antidepressant prescriptions and the fact that depression is the number one source of disability in the world today. They also speak to the need for universal mental health care. Victoria explains why we need to shift from recovery as a possibility to recovery as an expectation. The episode ends with Victoria providing the answer to her most recent Psychology Today post, “Is there Love after the Psych Ward?" “Recovery shouldn’t be a possibility. It should be an expectation.” – Victoria Maxwell Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-power-of-disability/victoria-maxwell.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/victoria-maxwell.html ABOUT THE SERIES The Power of Disability is a series of Below the Radar. Host Al Etmanski brings us enlightening conversations, featuring guests with disabilities who have been influential in arts, activism, science, and more. This series is a continuation of the work Al has shared in the book, The Power of Disability: 10 Lessons for Surviving, Thriving, and Changing the World, which reveals that people with disabilities are the invisible force that has shaped history. Hear more in this series: https://www.sfu.ca/sfuwoodwards/community-engagement/Below-the-Radar/the-power-of-disability.html RESOURCES — Website and free newsletter: http://victoriamaxwell.com/ — Mental Health E-Guides (free and downloadable): http://victoriamaxwell.com/free-resources/ — “Crazy for Life: Escapades of a bipolar princess” via Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/crazy-life Bio: Victoria Maxwell, BFA, BPP* is a sought-after international (and funny) keynote speaker, performing artist and workshop leader. She uses her personal story of recovery from mental illness to increase awareness, transform negative beliefs and ignite powerful conversations about mental health. Blending 30 years as an actor, and 15 as a wellness warrior, Victoria inspires people to take immediate action to improve their well-being. She was named one of Canada’s top leaders in Mental Health by the National Centre for Addiction and Mental Health centre (CAMH) and honoured with the National Difference Makers award. Her plays, keynotes and other efforts have won or been nominated for over 14 awards. They include the Entertainment Industries Council PRISM Award, SAMHSA Voice Award, best foreign stage play at the Moondance International Film Festival, and one of Top Ten Entrepreneurs with Disabilities. She has blogged for Psychology Today for the past 12 years. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Etmanski, Al. “The Power of Disability Part 1 — with Victoria Maxwell” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, April 22, 2021. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-power-of-disability/victoria-maxwell.html

Next Episode

The Power of Disability Part 2 — with Judy Heumann

Lifelong activist and wheelchair user Judy Heumann joins Al Etmanski for this instalment of The Power of Disability. Judy is a powerful advocate in the disability movement both in the US and globally. She and Al talk about her long history of fighting for the rights of disabled people, a part of which is featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary, Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. Judy shares stories about significant organizing moments and camaraderie in liberation movements, speaking to the importance for the voices of disabled people to come forward. They also discuss Judy’s appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, creating a thriving disability culture, and the changing nature of allyship. “It's important to work collaboratively with people, to try to have big dreams, to recognize they may not happen overnight, and to be able to change.” - Judy Heumann Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-power-of-disability/judy-heumann.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/judy-heumann.html ABOUT THE SERIES The Power of Disability is a series of Below the Radar. Host Al Etmanski brings us enlightening conversations, featuring guests with disabilities who have been influential in arts, activism, science, and more. This series is a continuation of the work Al has shared in the book, The Power of Disability: 10 Lessons for Surviving, Thriving, and Changing the World, which reveals that people with disabilities are the invisible force that has shaped history. Resources: Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/621090/being-heumann-by-judith-heumann/ Film: Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution: https://cripcamp.com/ Judy Heumann on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: https://www.facebook.com/thedailyshow/videos/203581457556267/ Judy Heumann - Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Heumann The Heumann Perspective - YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB7pemkbDQYezB6PeDFXTvg?view_as=subscriber Judy Heumann’s TED talk: https://www.ted.com/speakers/judith_heumann Judy Heumann on Twitter: https://twitter.com/judithheumann American Association of People with Disabilities’ REV UP campaign: https://www.aapd.com/advocacy/voting/ Al Etmanski’s website: www.aletmanski.com The Power of Disability: 10 Lessons for Surviving, Thriving, and Changing the World: https://aletmanski.com/books/ Bio: Judy is a lifelong activist and leader in the disability rights movement in the United States and internationally. At eighteen months old, Judy was paralyzed from polio and has been a wheelchair user ever since. She is the first person who used a wheelchair to teach in New York City but not before she sued the NY City Board of Education. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Etmanski, Al. “The Power of Disability Part 2 — with Judy Heumann” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, April 29, 2021. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-power-of-disability/judy-heumann.html