ABOUT MÁIJÁ

ELLE-MÁIJÁ TAILFEATHERS IS A WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER AND ACTOR. SHE IS A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI FIRST NATION (BLOOD TRIBE, BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY) AS WELL AS SÁMI FROM NORWAY. BEGINNING HER  CAREER AS AN ACTOR IN 2006 AND A FILMMAKER IN 2011, ELLE-MÁIJÁ IS A TRUE CREATIVE FORCE BOTH IN FRONT OF AND BEHIND THE LENS. 

HER SHORT DOCUMENTARY BIHTTOŠ WAS INCLUDED IN THE 2015 TIFF TOP TEN SHORTS AND WAS COMMISSIONED FOR THE IMAGINENATIVE EMBARGO COLLECTIVE. MIXING ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE, RE-ENACTMENTS AND ANIMATION, TAILFEATHERS´ EXTRAORDINARY BEAUTIFUL AND POIGNANT DOCUMENTARY BIHTTOŠ EXPLORES HOW PAST INJUSTICES IMPACTED THE MARRIAGE OF HER MOTHER, WHO IS OF BLACKFOOT DESCENT, AND HER SAMI FATHER." BIHTTOŠ WON THE GRAND JURY PRIZE FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT AT THE SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.

WITH THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN, SHE MADE HER FEATURE CO-DIRECTORIAL DEBUT (ALONGSIDE KATHLEEN HEPBURN), AS WELL AS STARRING-IN AND CO-WRITING. TAKING ITS TITLE FROM AN ESSAY BY INDIGENOUS POET BILLY-RAY BELCOURT, THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN, IS BASED ON A TRUE-CHANCE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN TAILFEATHERS AND ANOTHER INDIGENOUS WOMAN THAT “PACKS A POWERFUL EMOTIONAL PUNCH” (CINEMA AXIS). PREMIERING AT THE BERLINALE IN 2019, THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN RECEIVED THE TORONTO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AND VANCOUVER FILM CRITICS CIRCLE' AWARDS FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM. THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN WAS ALSO NOMINATED FOR SIX CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS, AND TAILFEATHERS AND HEPBURN RECEIVED THE CSAS FOR BEST DIRECTION AND BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY. THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN WAS PICKED UP BY AVA DUVERNAY’S ARRAY NETWORK AND CAN BE FOUND ON NETFLIX IN THE US AND CRAVE IN CANADA.

HAILED AS ONE OF “... THE MOST IMPORTANT FILM[S] ABOUT ADDICTION TO DATE …” BY THE VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, HER LATEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY KÍMMAPIIYIPITSSINI: THE MEANING OF EMPATHY IS AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF SURVIVAL, LOVE AND THE COLLECTIVE WORK OF HEALING IN THE KAINAI FIRST NATION IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA, A BLACKFOOT COMMUNITY FACING THE IMPACTS OF SUBSTANCE USE AND A DRUG-POISONING EPIDEMIC, WHERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ACTIVE IN ADDICTION AND RECOVERY, FIRST RESPONDERS AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS IMPLEMENT HARM REDUCTION TO SAVE LIVES. KÍMMAPIIYIPITSSINI: THE MEANING OF EMPATHY PREMIERED AT THE 2021 HOT DOCS INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL AND RECEIVED A ROGER'S AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD AS WELL AS THE EMERGING CANADIAN FILMMAKER AWARD FOR TAILFEATHERS. SINCE IT’S PREMIERE, KÍMMAPIIYIPITSSINI: THE MEANING OF EMPATHY AND TAILFEATHERS HAVE RECEIVED THE COLIN LOW AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN DIRECTOR AT DOXA 2021, THE AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD FOR A CANADIAN DOCUMENTARY AT THE 2021 CALGARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AND THE CO-WINNER, INSPIRING VOICES & PERSPECTIVES FEATURE FILM AWARD AT CINÉFEST SUDBURY. 

“KÍMMAPIIYIPITSSINI IS HEARTBREAKING BUT SHOULD BE MANDATORY VIEWING FOR POLICY MAKERS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OPIOIDS ARE DOING TO FAMILIES. I RAISE MY HANDS TO ELLE-MÁIJÁ TAILFEATHERS, FOR BEING AN UNFLINCHING WITNESS TO THE DREAMS AND STRUGGLES OF HER RELATIVES.”

 – DUNCAN MCCUE, CBC RADIO HOST

 HER ACTING CREDITS INCLUDE ROLES IN; JEFF BARNABY'S BLOOD QUANTUM, DANIS GOULET'S NIGHT RAIDERS, CANADIAN SCREEN AWARD NOMINATED PERFORMANCE IN THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN, RACHEL TALALAY’S UNCLAIMED, WHICH GARNERED HER A CSA FOR ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE,  THE SOON TO BE RELEASED STELLAR BY DARLENE NAPONSE, AND THE UPCOMING AMAZON/LEFT BANK PICTURES SERIES THREE PINES.

IN 2018 ELLE-MÁIJÁ WAS THE SUNDANCE FILM INSTITUTE’S MERATA MITA FILM FELLOW AND IS AN ALUMNUS OF THE BERLINALE TALENT LAB AND THE HOT DOCS ACCELERATOR LAB. ELLE-MÁIJÁ IS A MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES, THE ACADEMY OF CANADIAN CINEMA AND TELEVISION, THE DIRECTOR'S GUILD OF CANADA, UBCP/ACTRA, AND THE DOCUMENTARY ORGANIZATION OF CANADA.

CURRENTLY, SHE IS IN DEVELOPMENT FOR A FEATURE ADAPTATION OF ELLEN VAN NEERVEN’S SHORT STORY, WATER AND IS PREPARING TO DIRECT SEVERAL EPISODES OF LITTLE BIRD, CREATED BY JENNIFER PODEMSKI AND HANNAH MOSCOVITCH.