Animated film in Wolastoqey language aims to explore mental health in kid-friendly way

Sis'moqon · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A troubled fox finds an improbable person successful a tiny, mischievous demon successful the latest portion from a Wolastoqew storyteller.

Qaqsoss naka Wahantuhsis, an animated movie that will premiere later this period successful Miramichi N.B., is told wholly successful the Wolastoqey language.

Tara Audibert from Tobique First Nation successful New Brunswick wrote, produced and directed the movie and describes it arsenic an exploration of trauma, intelligence unwellness and the travel of confronting idiosyncratic demons successful bid to find healing. 

"It's an important communicative that's hard to speech astir with children, but from my perspective, it's thing that should beryllium talked about," she said.

The movie follows Qaqsoss, a reddish fox, as she struggles with interior turmoil and takes refuge successful a acheronian wood to flight a battalion of wolves.

There, she encounters Wahantuhsis, a tiny demon. Initially astatine likelihood with each other, the brace gradually signifier a enslaved arsenic they travel done an underworld together.

Despite moving with conscionable a 3rd of the fund of a typical low-budget diagnostic film, Audibert credits her squad of astir 40 artists and animators for their dedication to the project. 

Adrian Francis, who is Mi'kmaw from Esgenoopetitj First Nation, voices Wahantuhsis, the tiny demon quality who speaks chiefly done sounds – hiccups, screeching, growls and more.

One of the film's astir touching moments, Francis says, is erstwhile Qaqsoss and Wahantuhsis stock a meal. The brace who person had a fewer antagonistic interactions are finally capable to driblet their walls and enslaved implicit the nutrient they share. 

"No substance the geographical determination oregon what connection you speak, I mean, nutrient ever tends to bring america unneurotic arsenic quality beings," said Francis.

Francis showed the movie to his 10-year-old lad and said helium was moved erstwhile his lad asked, "Dad, could I beryllium a dependable actor?"

"I'm truthful blessed and proud; I told him, 'You tin bash immoderate you want,'" said Francis. 

Beyond its themes, the movie contributes to the preservation of the Wolastoqey language, with scripting wholly successful Wolastoqey – a connection with an estimated little than 100 fluent speakers.

At the bosom of this effort is Carole Polchies, who some translated the publication and narrated the film.

One of lone 2 fluent speakers in Woodstock First Nation, she sees the task arsenic a captious portion of revitalizing the language.

"We're getting older," she said.

"I'm 88 going connected 89 and the different talker is 90 already. We person to commencement taking work for our language."

Polchies is a connection teacher successful her community. She was capable to bring a fistful of her students into the film, casting them arsenic young foxes listening to the narrator's story. 

"Ninety-five per cent of our civilization is successful the language," said Polchies.

"If you person your language, you've got everything."

Qaqsoss naka Wahantuhsis volition diagnostic subtitles successful English, French and Wolastoqey.

The movie premieres April 19 astatine the Miramichi Cineplex, screening successful Wolastoqey with English subtitles.