A century-old story is getting a new screen life this month, and it’s happening right here in Vancouver.
Nancy, a new short film from Vancouver Island filmmaker Eva Grant, is screening as part of the 38th annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) — and it’s bringing a piece of Inuit film history back into public view that most Vancouverites have never heard of.
Who Was Nancy Columbia?
Long before Indigenous representation on screen was even part of the conversation, an Inuit woman named Nancy Columbia was already in front of the camera. Historians credit her as one of the earliest Inuit people to appear on film, first performing at turn-of-the-century World’s Fair exhibitions before moving into some of early cinema’s first productions — decades before the industry had any real framework for telling Indigenous stories with care, let alone giving the subject control over how their own story was told.
That’s exactly the tension Grant’s short film digs into: what it means to reclaim a story that was, for most of its existence, told about someone rather than by them.
Why This Screening Matters
VQFF has spent 38 years building space for queer stories in Vancouver’s film scene, and pairing that mandate with Indigenous film history isn’t a coincidence — both are ultimately about who gets to hold the camera, not just stand in front of it. A Vancouver Island filmmaker choosing to tell this particular story, at this particular festival, says something about where that conversation is headed.
It’s also a reminder that Vancouver’s film festivals are quietly some of the city’s best venues for stories that never make it into the mainstream feed — no algorithm, no viral clip, just a room full of people paying attention to something worth knowing.
Exact showtimes weren’t confirmed at post time, so check VQFF’s official lineup for scheduling before you plan your night. But if you’re looking for a reason to catch something outside the usual festival buzz, Nancy is it.
Know a Vancouver creative doing work like this? We want to hear about it. 👀
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