Position: production designer, 1st assistant
director, art director, boom
operator
Synopsis
Tkaronto
is a reflective and provoking exploration of two
Aboriginal 30-somethings, Ray and Jolene, who make
an unexpected connection at the pinnacle of a
common struggle: to stake claim to their urban
aboriginal identity.
Ray
Morin, A Métis writer, is in Tkaronto (the original
Mohawk word for “Toronto”) to pitch his TV series,
Indian Jones. This looks to be his big break. The
only problem is Ray’s growing disdain for TV execs
who are more motivated by ticking off the
Aboriginal box and tapping into “hot” Aboriginal
funding than they are genuinely interested in the
project itself. Ray feels caught between a rock and
a hard place as his non-aboriginal wife puts the
pressure on for him to take the job.
Jolene
Peltier, an Anishnabe painter, is in Tkaronto
conducting interviews for a series of portraits on
prominent Aboriginal people. When Elder Max
Cardinal gives her an eagle feather and sweetgrass,
it confirms her deep-seated feeling that she should
walk a spiritual path. But can walking this path
mean the end of her relationship with her husband
who seems utterly disinterested in Jolene’s
newfound spiritual calling?
For
Ray and Jolene, home feels very far away. And
having this chance meeting with each other only
raises a difficult question: would their questions
of identity be answered if they were
together?
Tkaronto
is the debut feature film from Métis
writer-director Shane Belcourt.
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