Our Grandmother The Inlet
Director: Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos
Co-Director: Kayah George
Director of Photography: Farhad Ghaderi
Trailer
About the project
A hybrid documentary film that examines the lives of Kayah George, a young Indigenous woman, and her grandmother Ta7a, the daughter of the renowned Chief Dan George. Delving into their ancestral lineage, the film takes you on a poignant journey as it highlights the significance of Kayah’s deep connection to water, revered in the Tsleil-Waututh Nation as their oldest grandmother and the birthplace of creation. Amidst the backdrop of industry dominance, the film sheds light on the mental health challenges faced by Indigenous youth and their enduring spirit of gentle reclamation as they strive to reconnect with their culture, water, and land as kin and relatives. With its powerful imagery, infused with cultural nuances and the echoes of past and present Indigenous-led struggles, this timely production carries a profound and relevant message.
Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos
Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos (she/her) is a director and editor based on the west coast. Jaime Leigh’s projects primarily concern the empowerment of women, social and environmental justice. Jaime Leigh is a recent winner of the ‘Hot Doc’s Cross Currents Doc Fund’ (2021) with co-director Kayah George for their documentary film ‘Our Grandmother the Inlet.’ The film is currently in post production, and the team will be launching an impact campaign and legal case to demand the rights of nature for the Burrard Inlet in partnership with ‘Sacred Trust’ led by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Jaime Leigh was one of 5 prominent emerging filmmakers selected for DOC BC’S Breakthrough Program (2022) with her short to feature documentary film ‘Ask The Plantain.’ The short version of the project received funding from ‘The Canada Council for the Arts’ February (2022).
Kayah George
Kayah George ‘Halth-Leah’ proudly carries the teachings of her Tulalip and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She is a young Indigenous leader, scholar, and activist. Kayah worked with Sacred Trust and Greenpeace, and traveled globally speaking on Indigenous and environmental issues, most notably COP21-Paris and Garma-Australia and more recently writing an op-ed for Teen Vogue, making it her second time being featured in the magazine. Kayah recently moved to Vancouver from Tulalip to study the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) language at Simon Fraser University full time while traveling and continuing to be an advocate for environmental, social justice, and Indigenous women’s rights.
Production Co
Executive Producer / Producer
Executive Producer
Director
Kayah George
Producer
Director
Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos
Executive Producer
Director of Photography
Executive Producer