Cultural Mining

Photo of Bretten Hannam by Jeff Harris

Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

Mise’l is a guy in his 30s who works in the city and lives with his boyfriend. He’s haunted by images of a frightening apparition, a rotten spirit made of trees, leaves, dirt and bones. But far from a dream, this ghost leaves a poisonous mark where it touches Mise’l. So goes back to his home, a place he fled years earlier following a traumatic event. There he meets up with his younger brother, Antle. They haven’t spoken in years, and Antle resents being abandoned at such a young age. But he also knows the ghost is back again… and threatening their lives, and even that of their little sister Grace. They set out on a long journey to where time has no meaning, and the living and the dead interact. But what will they discover at the place of ghosts?

At the Place of Ghosts — Sk+te’kmujue’katik — is a new and thrilling supernatural ghost story about history, memory, guilt, and kinship in Mi’kma’ki (Eastern Canada). Their journey spans hundreds of years of history with a new shock or surprise revealed at each bend in the river.  At the Place of Ghosts is written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Bretten Hannam and opens theatrically on May 8. Their films are known for their intensely creative explorations of indigenous and two spirit culture. I last spoke with Bretten in 2021 about their first feature Wildhood.

I spoke with Bretten in Toronto via ZOOM.

At the Place of Ghosts is now playing across Canada.