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Weckuwapok (The Approaching Dawn)

Featuring Passamaquoddy citizens Christopher Newell,
Roger Paul, and Lauren Stevens; and Yo-Yo Ma.

Waponahkik (the people of the dawn land) bring gratitude to the sun where it first looks our way. Song and stories invite us to accept the new day and put behind us any harm done the day before.

This film is part of a series and multimedia platform, made in partnership with Indigenous storytellers and their communities worldwide, invites learning from time-honored and current Indigenous ways of being. Facing a climate crisis, the Reciprocity Project embraces Indigenous value systems that have bolstered communities since the beginning of time. To heal, we must recognize that we are in relationship with Earth, a place that was in balance for millenia. More information at www.reciprocity.org.

  • Jacob Bearchum
    Co-Directors
  • Taylor Hensel
    Co-Directors
  • Adam Mazo
    Co-Directors
  • Chris Newell
    Co-Directors
  • Roger Paul
    Co-Directors
  • Kavita Pillay
    Co-Directors
  • Tracy Rector
    Co-Directors
  • Adam Mazo
    Producer
  • Taylor Hensel
    Co-Producers
  • Kavita Pillay
    Co-Producers
  • Tracy Rector
    Co-Producers
  • Matt Perez-Mora
    Field Producers
  • Ben Severance
    Field Producers
  • Jeff Griecci
    Directors of Photography
  • Ben Severance
    Directors of Photography
  • Filipp Kotsishevskiy
    Additional Camera
  • Ben Pender-Cudlip
    Additional Camera
  • Jared Lank
    Additional Camera
  • Justin Lacroix
    Sound Recordist
  • Jacob Bearchum
    Editors
  • Chi-Ho Lee
    Editors
  • Riss Bickford
    Production Assistant
  • Paul Froman
    On set COVID supervisor
  • Brianna Smith
    Stills Photographer
  • Cousin Charlie
    Translation
  • Lynn Mitchell
    Translation
  • Dwayne Tomah
    Translation
  • Filipp Kotsishevskiy
    Color
  • Peter Campbell
    Sound
  • Wayne Newell
    Advisor
  • Christopher Newell
    Featuring
  • Roger Paul
    Featuring
  • Lauren Stevens
    Featuring
  • Matt Dana II
    Featuring
  • Secretary Deb Haaland
    Featuring
  • Hawk Henries
    Featuring
  • Yo-Yo Ma
    Featuring
  • Lynn Mitchell
    Featuring
  • Wayne Newell
    Featuring
  • Rolfe Richter
    Featuring
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Skábmagovat Indigenous Film Festival
    Inari
    Finland
    January 27, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
    Missoula, Montana
    United States
    February 25, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Cartagena International Film Festival
    Cartagena
    Colombia
    March 16, 2022
  • Independent Film Festival Boston
    Boston, Massachusetts
    United States
    April 27, 2022
    Audience Award Winner: Documentary Short Film
  • Martha's Vineyard Film Festival
    West Tisbury, Massachusetts
    United States
    May 17, 2022
  • Northwest Folklife Festival
    Seattle, Washington
    United States
    May 30, 2022
  • Māoriland Film Festival
    Ōtaki, Aotearoa
    New Zealand
    June 29, 2022
    Southern Hemisphere
  • Indy Shorts International Film Festival
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    United States
    July 24, 2022
    Official Selection
  • The International First Peoples Festival Présence Autochtone
    Montréal, Québec
    Canada
    August 16, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Nuuk International Film Festival
    Nuuk
    Greenland
    September 14, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Camden International Film Festival
    Camden, Maine
    United States
    September 15, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Local Sightings Film Festival
    Seattle, WA
    United States
    September 20, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
    Hot Springs, Arkansas
    United States
    October 10, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Cucalorus Film Festival
    Wilmington, NC
    United States
    November 17, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital (DCEFF)
    Washington DC
    United States
    February 16, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Capital City Film Festival
    Lansing, MI
    United States
    April 5, 2023
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Nia Tero
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography

Weckuwapok was made by a collective of storytellers with a shared affinity for all beings and uplifting Indigenous voices. We are 8 people creating story together. We are Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Wolastoqey, Cherokee, Walla Walla / Northern Cheyenne, multicultural, and settler. Supporting us is a marvelous and diverse team including educators, program managers, advisers, editors, artists, and more who collectively make up the Reciprocity Project team. Our names are (alphabetically):
Jacob Bearchum, Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Chris Newell, Roger Paul, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector, and Lauren Stevens.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Just before the sun peaks over the horizon, weckuwapok, the approaching dawn, has magical power. We believe that moment is full of promise, possibility, and power; a gift about to be given. This is what we celebrate in our film: reverence for our awareness of dawn breaking and an opportunity for pomawsuwin–the standing bears–to reconnect with the energy that gives us all life. Wabanaki languages are manuals for sustainability if we take the time to listen and share. Gathered at Moneskatik for weckuwapok - the approaching dawn - we welcomed the day with stories and music wishing we could all be together, so this film is our gift to bring the magic to you.