Discover the Montréal First Peoples' Festival

The festival promises a “tsunami” of diverse activities and shows, including concerts, performances, and even skateboarding.

But let’s not forget: this festival is first and foremost a celebration of Indigenous cinema and the talented filmmakers who bring those stories to life.

Here are some of the film highlights to watch for this year, including a tribute to Innu song with the world premiere of Florent Vollant: Innu, along with bold new works in Indigenous languages that explore memory, identity and resistance.

Florent Vollant: Innu is a biographical feature film about the legendary Innu singer-songwriter, directed by up-and-coming filmmaker and accomplished Francophone musician Isabelle Longnus. The film will make its world premiere August 8 at the Théâtre Outremont and explores themes of Innu culture, music and identity.

Sanajiit ᓴᓇᔩᑦ (Inuit Makers) is an innovative documentary series completed in 2025 that offers an immersive journey into Inuit creativity and traditions, showcasing life and culture as experienced by Inuit communities in their own language. The documentary will be presented at the NFB Space and the daphne Art Centre from August 8 to 10.

Another must-see is Ka Whawhai Tonu (In the Fire of War), a historical fiction film in Māori that depicts the fight for Māori sovereignty and resistance against colonization, focusing on the 1864 Battle of Ōrākau. The film will be shown at Cinéma du Musée on August 9.

Also screening is Kinra (Motherland), a contemporary Peruvian feature about a young Aymara man from Cusco in search of his destiny. The film marks the directorial debut of Marco Panatonic and will be featured at Cinéma du Musée on August 10.

Cosmographies is a hybrid film blending science fiction and documentary. Set in Chile’s Atacama Desert, Aymara territory where Indigenous traditions coexist with cutting-edge astronomy and NASA tests for Mars exploration, the story unfolds through Xuê Noon, a Māori astrophysicist from the future. The film is poetic, ethnological, militant and prophetic. Actress Victoria Hunt, who plays Xuê Noon, will attend the screening on August 6 at Cinéma du Musée.

Another film in the official selection is Midnight at the Lonely River, a genre short film that kicks off the festival. Directed by Abraham Côté — whose early work with Wapikoni Mobile showed strong cinematic instincts — this film marks the emergence of a distinctive new voice in Indigenous storytelling. Genre cinema is an increasingly popular path for First Nations filmmakers, and this short is seen as a prelude to Côté’s upcoming feature-length projects.

Also worth noting is The Falling Sky, fresh from Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, featuring the powerful voice of Yanomami shaman and leader Davi Kopenawa — a poetic meditation on Indigenous resistance and survival.

The festival wraps on August 14 at Cinéma du Musée with Free Leonard Peltier, a documentary following the legendary Indigenous leader’s more than 50-year fight for justice under incarceration.

Punk rock band 1876, formed in 2020 in Portland, will perform on August 8 at the Quebecor stage. The group blends sounds familiar to anyone who has attended a powwow with aggressive guitar riffs, catchy melodies and politically charged lyrics. Representing both the Northern Cheyenne and Blackfeet nations, the band performs in both languages. Kong, a rapper from Whapmagoostui, will open the show.

For something a little different, there’s Les passeurs, a unique concert featuring the songs and poetry of Jacques Newashish, an Atikamekw elder, and Andrée Lévesque-Sioui, a Wendat artist. Their work will be accompanied by the guitars of Forestare, on August 10.

Performances by the groups Maten, Shauit, and Native Mafia Family will also take place at the Quebecor stage.

Exhibits and activities

The festival kicks off with an opening ceremony on August 6 at the Théâtre Outremont, where Indigenous elders will speak and Mohawk activist Sedalia Fazio will beat the drum to launch the festivities. Guest of honour Bunna Lawrie will also pay tribute to Montréal.

To mark the festival’s 35th anniversary, an exhibition at the Grande Bibliothèque will look back at its rich and continuous history.

Also on display is Indigenous Presences: Graphic Design and Mirrored Cultures, an exhibit produced by BAnQ in partnership with Land Insights and the Société des designers graphiques du Québec. It runs from August 1 to 31.