Directed by Patrick Shannon. At Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema on May 10 at 6:30 p.m. and the Cinematheque on May 11 at 3:00 p.m.
Ball is life in Haida Gwaii. When it was illegal for Indigenous groups to gather in groups of a certain size, sport became the way to do that. Basketball was the vehicle in which tradition and culture were passed down and how relationships were built.
Sport and life go hand in hand here. Take Jason Alsop (Gaagwiis), who serves as both president of the Haida Nation and captain of the storied Skidegate Saints basketball team. As the film follows the Saints’ attempt to defend its dynasty at the All Native Basketball Tournament, the battle extends beyond that title to another one—Haida Aboriginal Title, which recognizes the Nation’s right to the land on which it works, lives, and plays on.