The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is debuting a series of short documentaries by four Aboriginal filmmakers as part of the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.

The film series, titled ‘Souvenir,’ is part of the Aboriginal Pavilion – an arts, culture and sports festival held alongside the Toronto-set games from July 10 to 26 and Aug. 7 to 9. The shorts were commissioned by the NFB.

Each director was invited to create a doc that addresses Aboriginal identity and representation using the NFB’s archival material, which includes more than 700 films with Aboriginal themes, dating back to 1939. Musicians Tanya Tagaq and A Tribe Called Red provided scores for the soundtracks.

Jeff Barnaby’s Etlinisigu’niet (Bleed Down) “destroys any remaining shreds of the mythology of a fair and just Canada,” according to the NFB, while Michelle Latimer’s Nimmikaage (She Dances for People) deconstructs Canadian nationalism.

Kent Monkman’s Sisters & Brothers draws parallels between the annihilation of the bison and the impact of Canada’s residential school system for Native Canadians, and Caroline Monnet’s Mobilize (pictured) focuses on the tensions between traditional and modern cultures.

‘Souvenir’ is screening as part of the exhibition ‘Gazing Back, Looking Forward,’ which is being held at Toronto’s Fort York National Historic Site and runs through Sept. 27. Following the PanAm event, the NFB will look at future screening opportunities for the films such as festivals or other gallery exhibitions, a spokesperson told Playback Daily.

– From realscreen, with files from Julianna Cummins