Biidaaban: First Light

Biidaban: First Light is a Canadian immersive virtual reality film, created by Lisa Jackson and released in 2018.[1] The film places viewers in an immersive vision of a Downtown Toronto that has been reclaimed by nature, with vegetation and animals living freely inside the urban landscape, with narration in the indigenous Wendat, Mohawk and Ojibwe languages.[2]

Not to be confused with Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes).

Jackson has indicated that the film is not meant to be perceived as apocalyptic, but as a meditation on the importance of humans living in harmony with nature to build a positive future.[3] She created the film in conjunction with 3D artist Mathew Borrett, digital production agency Jam3 and the digital studio of the National Film Board of Canada.[4]

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2018.[2] It received a special event screening at Nathan Phillips Square in September,[5] before having its official Canadian premiere at the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival.[6]

Awards

At imagineNATIVE, the film won the award for Best Interactive Work.[7] It won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Immersive Experience, Fiction at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019.[8]

References
  1. Chris Rattan, "Virtual reality film imagines an Indigenous future for Toronto". Now, September 14, 2018.
  2. Rhiannon Johnson, "Anishinaabe artist's new VR experience takes an Indigenous futurist look at Toronto". CBC News Indigenous, April 14, 2018.
  3. Lucius Dechausay, "Imagine if Toronto were reclaimed by nature. This Indigenous futurism VR experience takes you there". CBC Arts, September 18, 2018.
  4. Randy Astle, "“Our Culture is in Our Language”: Lisa Jackson on Her VR Film Biidaaban: First Light and Indigenous Futurism". Filmmaker, July 23, 2018.
  5. Gilbert Ngabo, "The subway tracks are flooded, highrises crumbling: Step into a Toronto reclaimed by nature in Indigenous artist’s highly realistic virtual reality film". Toronto Star, September 18, 2018.
  6. Chris Knight, "How Biidaaban imagines a future in which the First Peoples have reclaimed their territory". National Post, September 21, 2018.
  7. Laura Friesen, "NSI grads pick up awards at 2018 imagineNATIVE film fest". National Screen Institute, October 22, 2018.
  8. "CBC's Finding Cleo among winners at Canadian Screen Awards". CBC News, March 28, 2019.
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