Oot Iiwaans (Leo Gagnon)

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

'I'm Alaskan Haida.'

'I have kind of an extensive language background. I've been either learning, documenting and teaching language for a little over a decade.'

'I'm a functional speaker.'

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham

'I heard about the movie from the elders and my cousin.'

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

'This particular script came to us very gradually. Very organically.'

'The script is based, or inspired by, traditional Haida stories.'

'Our story is definitely fiction but it's based in reality.'

'We went over and over and over that script so many times.'

'We consulted a lot.'

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

‘I was born and raised in Skidegate’

‘I actually submitted a 50-pages story that I’ve written a long time ago. And that was too long and they wanted me to write something else but I didn’t get a chance to write anything else.’

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

"The language [Haida] has changed me"

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

"What would we do if we couldn't speak Haida and we couldn't talk to our ancestors? That would be the scariest thing. But that will not happen now, I believe whole heartedly with the film and the 12 women that are going to be teachers."

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

“I was mostly intrigued by the Haida language. Being in front of the camera wasn’t so much the big push. It was the language part and the fact that it was all going to be done in Haida language.” K_uun Jaad

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

"I thought it would be a really good experience learning how to speak X̱aaydaa Kil [Haida] and I thought it would be fun"

"It's so culturally involved and an inspiration for other Nations to do it."

"I think most people here would probably watch it by private showings."

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

“I’m a cedar bark weaver. And I’ve been weaving since 2007. And I weave on a daily basis, minimum 4 hours a day.”

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

"The language was easy; it was remembering that was the hard part"

"I'm a carver and I make carving tools for local carvers"

"I do a lot of weaving, a lot of hunting and fishing"

"This [knife] if similar to what was used on the film. Made by me."

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

“Of course I’m interested in any kind of thing that pushes Haida culture into the new centuries.”

“[Atanarjuat] portraits real authentic story from the Nations it was from. It kind of gives you an idea about of how you can represent your culture on the screen.”

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

'My english name is Harold Williams. My Haida name Sgaamsgid means big eyes in Haida.'

'We are learning all the Haida words for the movie.'

'My kids were so happy I was going in the movies. I didn't want to disappoint them.'

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham Richard

'My mom told me that there was something going on. She said that if I wanted I could try to audition.'

'I just really like that kind of thing. To act and stuff like that.' 'I was raven child. I don't know how to describe myself.'

Interview with Dana Moraes and Graham

'My white man name is Russel. My Haida name is Nunthclioff meaning long, lost one found. It was given to me by my aunty after I return home from residential school. The name means long lost, one found.'