When They Awake

2017
1h 30m

IMDb RATING

8.4/10

YOUR RATING

Buffy Sainte-Marie, Iskwe, Kathleen Merritt, Tim Hill, Rex Smallboy, Tanya Tagaq, Leela Gilday, Ian Campeau, and Nancy Mike in When They Awake (2017)

"My people will sleep for 100 years, but WHEN THEY AWAKE, it will be the artists who give them their spirits back." - Louis Riel, Métis Leader, 1885 // WHEN THEY AWAKE documents a remarkable generation of established and emerging Indigenous musicians in a moment of cultural and political resurgence. In this era of native resurgence, from Idle No More to Standing Rock, Indigenous musicians across North America are making their voices heard...and people are starting to listen. Working in every genre from Hip Hop to Rock to EDM and beyond, a generation of native musicians are channeling the pain of the past into a stirring, hopeful vision of the future. It is this generation and their astonishing music that WHEN THEY AWAKE bears witness. Featuring over 20 artists, including modern trailblazers A TRIBE CALLED RED, TANYA TAGAQ, LEELA GILDAY and ISKWé, WHEN THEY AWAKE is a magnum opus documenting contemporary indigenous musicians as they transform historical trauma into compelling art.

For more: hhtp://www.WhenTheyAwake.com

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A remarkable generation of established and emerging Indigenous musicians soars in a moment of cultural resurgence - from Idle No More to Standing Rock - channeling the pain of the past into ... Read allA remarkable generation of established and emerging Indigenous musicians soars in a moment of cultural resurgence - from Idle No More to Standing Rock - channeling the pain of the past into a stirring, hopeful vision of the future.A remarkable generation of established and emerging Indigenous musicians soars in a moment of cultural resurgence - from Idle No More to Standing Rock - channeling the pain of the past into a stirring, hopeful vision of the future.

Directors
- PJ Marcellino
- Hermon Farahi
Writers
- Hermon Farahi
- PJ Marcellino
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.4/10

YOUR RATING

Directors
- PJ Marcellino
- Hermon Farahi
Writers
- Hermon Farahi
- PJ Marcellino
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 wins & 10 nominations total

Trivia
Coming full circle, the last stage of scheduled Principal Photography of Way Up North (May-June 2015) will occur exactly 20 years from the date of co-director PJ Marcellino's first Arctic adventure: aboard the Arctic research vessel 'Antarctica', property of French Polar Explorer Jean-Louis Etienne, then wintering in Van Mijenfjord in Spitsbergen, Norway.

User reviews1

Review

Featured review

10/10

Compelling documentary on the cultural resurgence of Indigenous music

When They Awake is a compelling music documentary about the amplification of Indigenous voices through its music community in North America. I witnessed first hand this historical movement in the film and music community and watched with emotion When They Awake. To see so many talented Indigenous musicians partake in that important music documentary, a testimony to the resurgence of traditional Indigenous culture and music which had been largely ignored up until recently by the mainstream media. I am looking forward to its sequel.