36th International First Peoples Festival opens August 4 in Montreal with Innu documentary premiere
Nine-day festival starting August 4 features film, music, theatre, dance, visual arts, and literature celebrating Indigenous cultures.
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Montreal's 36th International First Peoples Festival will celebrate Indigenous cultures across nine days beginning August 4, opening with the premiere of a documentary about Canada's Innu people.
The festival kicks off with the August 4 premiere of "Nitassinan," directed by Joséphine Bacon and Kim O'Bomsawin, at Théâtre Outremont. The film explores the history and resilience of the Innu.
Following the documentary premiere, the nine-day festival brings together film, music, theatre, dance, visual arts, literature, and more. Many events take place at Place des Festivals, with most film screenings happening at Cinéma du Musée.
On August 7, poet Flora Aurima Devatine will present "The Stars of Dawn," a documentary dedicated to her work. Devatine is "a leading figure in Tahitian literature and a driving force behind the revival of the ancestral Polynesian language," organizers say.
The festival wraps up August 14 with a commemorative concert, "Here Stood the Tree of Peace"—an intertwining of music, song, and poetry that brings the celebration to a close.
Before you go
When does the 36th International First Peoples Festival run?
The 36th International First Peoples Festival runs for nine days beginning August 4, 2026, and concludes on August 14, 2026, in Montreal.
What opens the festival on August 4?
The festival opens on August 4, 2026, with the premiere of 'Nitassinan,' a documentary directed by Joséphine Bacon and Kim O'Bomsawin about Canada's Innu people, screening at Théâtre Outremont in Montreal.
Where do most events take place?
Many events at Montreal's 36th International First Peoples Festival take place at Place des Festivals, with most film screenings happening at Cinéma du Musée.
