January 2025

Join us as we honor our matriarchs, both behind the scenes and on screen, in Indigenous media.

The Treaty Day Film Festival is an annual Indigenous film festival that educates and unites communities through Indigenous perspectives on issues like environmental conservation and treaty rights. Commemorating the 1855 Point Elliott Treaty, the festival engages students, Tribal members, and the public through film screenings and Q&A sessions.

This is our 7th annual festival that’s expanded to 7 days, featuring 12 films, and serving communities across Bellingham, Mt. Vernon, and Tulalip. We hope you can celebrate treaty day with us.

TDFF 2025 Films

The Basket Lady

In the Pacific Northwest, the Coast Salish people tell stories of The Basket Lady, a dark figure lurking in the forest undergrowth. She watches silently, with pitch in hand to blind her prey, and a large cedar basket to swiftly carry away disobedient children.  Will and Dakota, two young girls on the reservation laugh off warnings of the Pitch Witch as just another scary story meant to keep kids in line.  However, as their rebellion continues, they soon realize the chilling reality for those who don’t listen to their Elders.

A film by Dominique McFarlane

Showings:

Sleeping Bear

A mother bear and her two cubs escape one threat, only to be thrown into another. This retelling of an Odawa legend shows the love a mother has for her babies, at any cost.

A film by Johanna Oswald

  • Tribal Community Screening*
    Silver Reef Casino, Lummi Nation
    Thursday, January 23rd
    6PM - 9PM
    *free screening for Tribal community members

Showings:

Story Pole

Story Pole chronicles the journey of a ceremonial totem pole that embodies the rich cultural legacy of the Coast Salish peoples. Originally carved by the late Lummi Elder Samuel Cagey Jr., the pole's completion by artist Jason LaClair becomes a unifying symbol of community, education, and Indigenous artistry. Through its home at the QwotQwem Gallery in Bellingham, the film captures the pole’s role in art walks, carving demonstrations, and its connection with local schools, weaving together stories of tradition, creativity, and collective effort. With fundraising underway to bring this powerful symbol to completion, Story Pole serves as a testament to the enduring spirit and heritage of the Lummi Nation and Coast Salish communities.

A film by Children of the Setting Sun Productions

  • Tribal Community Screening*
    Silver Reef Casino, Lummi Nation
    Thursday, January 23rd
    6PM - 9PM
    *free screening for Tribal community members

Showings:

Resident Orca

A film by Sarah Sharkey Pearce & Simon Schneider

Resident Orca tells the shocking true story of a captive whale’s fight for survival and freedom. After decades of failed attempts to bring her home, an unlikely partnership between Indigenous matriarchs, a billionaire philanthropist, killer whale experts, and the aquarium’s new owner take on the herculean task of freeing Lolita, captured 53 years ago as a child, only to spend the rest of her life performing in the smallest killer whale tank in North America. When Lolita falls ill under troubling circumstances, her advocates are faced with a painful question: is it too late to save her?

Showings:

  • Tribal Community Screening*
    Silver Reef Casino, Lummi Nation
    Thursday, January 23rd
    6PM - 9PM
    *free screening for Tribal community members