Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy, by filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, made its debut at Hot Docs Canadian Film Festival on April 29 and will stream online via the festival until May 9. It also streams across Canada through the DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver until May 16. The film focuses on how her home community, the Kainai First Nation, is dealing with an overdose and substance abuse epidemic. In the film, we see the stories of people who are at different stages on the road to recovery. We see the dedicated work of first responders and medical workers. Despite the struggles we see in the film, there is positivity in its main message: That empathy is a powerful healing tool.
Before Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy made its debut at the Hot Docs this year, I got to speak with Elle-Máijá about the film and about the importance of empathy and empowering others.
