The documentary \u201cVoices from the Barrens: Native People, Blueberries and Sovereignty\u201d will screen at the University of Maine at Machias Performing Arts Center on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. to kick off a Maine-focused film series called The Right to Food.<\/p>\n
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with a panel, including representatives from Passamaquoddy Wild Blueberry Company, indigenous blueberry raking families, and Passamaquoddy individuals with expertise in indigenous food systems and culture.<\/p>\n
The second film \u201cHungry Now,\u201d will premiere Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine.<\/p>\n
\u201cVoices from the Barrens\u201d documents the wild blueberry harvest of the Wabanaki People from the United States and Canada. Each August, First People of the Canadian Wabanaki, the Mi\u2019kmaq and Maliseet tribes cross the U.S.-Canada border into Maine to take part in the tradition of hand raking blueberries with their Passamaquoddy brothers and sisters. The film focuses on the Passamaquoddy Tribe\u2019s challenge to balance blueberry hand raking traditions with the economic realities of the world market, which favor mechanical harvesting.<\/p>\n
Nancy Ghertner, the film\u2019s director, was introduced to the Passamaquoddy at Sipayik while she was a student at Colby College, where she was involved in a research project related to the tribal communities of Maine. \u201cVoices from the Barrens\u201d was inspired by Ghertner\u2019s research into agriculture labor across the international border.<\/p>\n
The film was recorded between 2014 and 2019 on the barrens of Washington County, in the communities of Motahkomikuk (Indian Township); Sipayik (Pleasant Point); and the First Nations of Elsipogtog, New Brunswick and Eskasoni, Nova Scotia.<\/p>\n
The documentary premiered in 2020 on Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Day at the Camden International Film Festival. It was featured in nine film festivals around the world, receiving Best Documentary award at the Montreal International Wreath Awards Festival and award nominations at the American Indian Film Festival.<\/p>\n
In Maine, the documentary has been broadcast on Maine Public Television and has reached audiences at colleges, universities, public libraries, conservation organizations and land trusts, as well as the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). The documentary has also been included in the curriculum of Maine Indian Education and schools in the First Nations in New Brunswick.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaine Indian Education\u2019s schools are so pleased to share \u201dVoices from the Barrens\u201d with our students,\u201d says Beth Clifford, curriculum coordinator at Maine Indian Education. \u201cThis documentary provides many entry points for students as it honors their experiences, those of their families and their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second film in The Right to Food series is director and UMaine Machias lecturer Alan Kryszak\u2019s 2022 documentary \u201cHungry Now.\u201d Filmed in coastal and Down East Maine over two years, \u201cHungry Now\u201d explores the twisted path from a child in food insecurity to a homeless adult, along with the \u201chelpers\u201d who intercede at all stages of a human life. This documentary will premiere Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. at the Collins Center for the Arts; Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. at UMaine Machias; and on PBS\/Maine Public Television soon after.<\/p>\n