2022 Mother Tongue Film Festival: Opening Night and “Bootlegger” U.S. Premiere

Following opening remarks from Smithsonian organizers, the festival’s first screening presents the U.S. premiere of Caroline Monnet’s debut feature film Bootlegger alongside the world premiere of Ixim Ulew, the latest music video from Maya hip-hop artist Tz’utu Kan.

This program is hosted in partnership with the Québec Government Office in Washington, DC.

Film synopsis: Mani, a master’s student, returns to the reserve in northern Quebec where she grew up. Her painful past resurfaces. Resolved to reintegrate into the community, she gets involved in the debate around a referendum on allowing the free sale of alcohol on the reserve. Laura, a bootlegger, pockets the profits she makes there under the protection of the band council and her partner Raymond. The latter is still angry with Mani, whom he holds responsible for the death of his daughter in a fire. Opposing forces quickly divide the community into two sides who face each other to determine the best path to independence.