Tourism Lethbridge has partnered with two filmmakers to showcase Indigenous perspectives and experiences in the city. The contracts were created through efforts to strengthen the local visitor economy and create awareness of Indigenous tourism in the region.
“It’s important to highlight it. Sometime you know, there is a bad look with the First Nation community and I think highlighting the culture shows that we are not bad people and we have such a great culture and I think people should experience that,” says Jared Wolf Child, one of the contracted filmmakers.
Wolf Child and Shawanda Backfat were selected from a group of Indigenous filmmakers who attended a five-day workshop focused on honing their skills as artists, storytellers and producers.
They will create short form videos for social media and Tourism Lethbridge says it will use its resources to aid them and ensure a clear, personal and holistically Indigenous perspective is highlighted in the projects.
Wolf Child says his video will focus on warrior relay races in Lethbridge.
“It’s a very new thing, withing the last decade is when it started getting more popular I guess and I just think it’s a cool thing for other people to view because it’s starting to get really big — its already one of the things they show at the Calgary Stampede and we want to have something closer,” he says.
Both contracts are funded through Travel Alberta grants
“Indigenous tourism is a bourgeoning sector of the tourism industry in Canada and Tourism Lethbridge is incredibly honoured to be collaborating closely with partners and other organizations to continue to help nurture and grow this industry sector and promote our amazing people and region,” says Thomas Miller, digital content specialist for Tourism Lethbridge.
Wolf Child says he hopes the contract leads to more projects focused on Indigenous tourism and he would like to see pow wows highlighted.