FESTIVAL PREMIERE
Ancestral Beasts
Director: Tim Riedel
At the lowest point of her life, a troubled woman finally commits to conquering the figurative demons in her past only to uncover a literal demon living within the bowls of her rural ancestral home, threatening her very spirit and the spirits of those who love her.
CAST & CREDITS
Director
Tim Riedel
Producer
Tim Riedel
Writer
Tim Riedel
Key Cast
Darla Contois
DIRECTORS BIO
TIM RIEDEL is a Métis filmmaker from the Red River region of Manitoba who develops storytelling that brings healing through both traditional and modern knowledge using an approach known as two-eyed seeing.
Tim started as a writer of the children’s 3D animated series Eddy Unleashed which aired on YTV domestically and TV3 internationally.
Tim later shifted his focus to factual filmmaking where he traveled to some of the world’s most dangerous places working in partnership with non-government organizations (NGO’s) to make advocacy films designed to raise awareness and improve the representation of marginalized people in media. These projects include 2019’s award winning feature documentary Jackstones and 2021’s Pressure Baby.
Over the past five years Tim returned to his homeland to tell Indigenous stories about his Métis community; shining light on intergenerational trauma, Identity appropriation, and reconnecting fractured heritages while advocating for the sustained growth and wellbeing of the next generation of Indigenous storytellers.
He is currently a student in the Filmmakers in Indigenous Leadership & Management Business Affairs (FILMBA) at Capilano University and has been selected for the Indigenous Film Fellowship at the 2024 Whistler International Film Festival.
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
I BELIEVE THAT GOOD STORYTELLING IS GOOD MEDICINE
I draw inspiration from my ancestors to create art that helps improve the world we hand down to future generations. My mother is a 60’s Scoop survivor, and her struggle has had a significant impact on my family. This lived experience drives my work to tell misunderstood and/or misrepresented stories that correct history books and provoke new perspectives on matters of identity and trauma in a way that promotes unity while reducing competition and tokenism in the Indigenous media sector.
My reputation as a filmmaker has thus far been built on writing and directing factual entertainment with a focus on documentaries set overseas, covering topics of justice and equity for people who are either persecuted, oppressed, or vulnerable.
I draw from a wealth of transferable experience from my work in factual films and apply this knowledge to the dramatic projects I develop to shed light on complicated and important aspects of the human experience, leaving viewers more thoughtful and open to dialogue.
I want to help audiences see things that they don’t normally see while broadening their understanding of misunderstood and stigmatized aspects of life.
I invest considerable time connecting with Red River Métis Elders and Indigenous groups outside of my nation to strengthen relationships and foster a greater sense of community by advocating for a stronger Indigenous media sector that enables more of us to tell our stories in a good way.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, I CONSIDER THE ACT OF STORYTELLING TO BE SACRED.
Words are medicine, and the words I use in the stories I tell are designed to be good medicine that teaches others about the world we share and provokes audiences to think deeply about themselves, their values, their relationships, and their potential contributions towards a better future.
