BEFORE TOMORROW

BEFORE TOMORROW (Canada, 2008, 93 min.)

Co-presented by the National Museum of the American Indian

Washington, D.C. Premiere Two elders in an Inuit family enjoy feasts, weddings, storytelling and fishing with their extended communities during a summer gathering in the mid-19th century. But one is ill and the other worried. Stories of the Europeans’ impending advance are spreading. The two volunteer, along with a younger nephew, to stay behind on a remote island to dry the fish after a bountiful catch. Following the death of one of the pair, the others begin the journey home – only to discover that their worst fears may have come true. Distilling the grand narrative of first contact into a more intimate encounter, the film explores how this historic event changed not only the Inuit people but the entire world. Using a subtle observational style that gives the film a sense of history made real, Before Tomorrow recasts Canada’s wilderness ethos and its representation on screen. (—Jesse Wente, Toronto International Film Festival.) Directed by Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu. Produced by Stéphane Rituit. Executive Producers: Norman Cohn and Zacharias Kunuk. Based on the book, For Morgendagen by Jorn Riel.

Introduced by Melissa Bisagni, Film & Video Program Manager, National Museum of the American Indian.

Ticket/Reservation Info:

$10 General Admission; $8.50 AFI Members; $9 Seniors (65+), Students (with valid ID), and Military; $6 Children (12 and under). Tickets may be purchased at the box office (opens 30 minutes before the film) or online at www.afi.com/silver. 

AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md. (METRO: Silver Spring)