TESLIN, Yukon Territory - Two-Spirted Director Duane Gastant' Aucoin of Teslin, Yukon & Tlingit Director Gord Loverin of Atlin, BC;
winners of the 2003 Vancouver Queer Film Festivals "Audience Favourite Award for Best Feature" for "Children of the Rainbow", are set to Vancouver Premiere their new documentary entitled "My Own Private Lower Post" at the 2009 Vancouver Queer Film Festival in Vancouver, BC. This groundbreaking video has been called “enjoyable, emotional and historic” (Whitehorse Star review).
My Own Private Lower Post is the story of Duane Gastant' Aucoin, a two-spirited Tlingit, as he seeks to understand how his mother Vicky Bob's trials at Lower Post Resident School have influenced his life. As she shares her story, he comes to understand how he too is a survivor. Haa Koosteeyi (Our Tlingit Way) is where mother and son find the strength to overcome and truly survive.
"This is quite the honour!" said Aucoin. "My generation of Adult Children of Residential School Survivors is a story seldom told. I am happy that Out On Screen is giving me the opportunity to tell my story to my Queer family. I deliberately saved the Vancouver premiere for this festival as I owe much to it as it has helped me any many other Queer filmmakers. Let alone how much it has helped the Queer audience as well!"
He continued to say that both him and his mother hope that their story will help those who watch it find healing. "Residential Schools is not who were are," he continued, "but it is a part of us and we need to recognize this reality so we can control it and make good come from it and truly leave it behind us. As we say in Tlingit, 'De awe', it's finished! This is not just something that us Native People need to understand and do though. This is a universal lesson for all peoples to learn from their past and the past of their parents & let it go."
In regards to his being 2-Spirited Aucoin says "I only mention twice in passing during the whole production that I am 2-Spirited and that is because that is not the focus of this documentary. But what is more important is me fulfilling my traditional 2-Spirited role of "Peacemaker & Healer".
My Own Private Lower Post was World Premiered at the 2008 imagineNATIVE Film Festival in Toronto, Ontario. It also recently screened at the 2009 Assembly of First Nations National Assembly in Calgary.
winners of the 2003 Vancouver Queer Film Festivals "Audience Favourite Award for Best Feature" for "Children of the Rainbow", are set to Vancouver Premiere their new documentary entitled "My Own Private Lower Post" at the 2009 Vancouver Queer Film Festival in Vancouver, BC. This groundbreaking video has been called “enjoyable, emotional and historic” (Whitehorse Star review).