EVENT POSTPONED | RESCHEDULING NEWS SOON
You are heartily invited to a screening of the feature film, Shih [Interconnectedness]. The screening is free and everyone is welcome.
Shih [Interconnectedness] is a feature film that explores intersections of environmentalism, arts-based creation and Indigenous ways of knowing to improve relations with the Earth and with Her First Peoples.
DATE | MARCH 24, 2026
TIME 1:00-3:00 p.m.
LOCATION | Scarfe, Room 1328, 2125 Main Mall, UBC
A short Q&A session with Dr. Geo Takach, Dr. Shannon Leddy and Dr. T. Patrick Carrabré will follow the screening.
WRITER, DIRECTOR & PRODUCER | Dr. Geo Takach | Royal Roads University
WITH | with Butch Dick, Warren Cariou, T., Dr. T. Patrick Carrabré, Dr. Shannon Leddy, Hilary Leighton Russell Johnston, Lestie King Francis Erasmus, Mo Dawson, Damian John
EDITOR-CINEMATOGRAPHER | William Morrison
Seven years in the making, Shih [Interconnectedness] is a feature film that explores intersections of environmentalism, arts-based creation and Indigenous ways of knowing that was co-created by Geo Takach, a prof at Royal Roads University in Lekwungen territory on what’s colonially called Vancouver Island, with a dazzling array of primarily Indigenous artists, teachers and researchers. These include Shannon Leddy from the Faculty of Education and T. Patrick Carrabré from the School of Music.
Filmed partly here at UBC, the film explores a central question: How can we bring environmental, Indigenous and arts-based approaches into dialogue to improve relationships with the Earth and Her First Peoples?
“I found a very natural alliance there that is not only called for but, I think, absolutely essential among settlers’ notions of environmentalism and Indigenous ways of knowing along with artistic creation,” Geo says. “Because to me, despoiling the planet and colonizing Indigenous people—are also two sides of the same dark coin. They’re both colonization in that you’re taking more than you need from the Earth at a rate faster than the Earth can sustain, or you are taking away the land, the children and the lives of people who have been here since time immemorial.”
Takach highlights the contributions to the film of Indigenous artists including Butch Dick and Damian John, the latter of whom painted his answer to the project’s main question in a major work that’s revealed in the film. Meanwhile, visual recorder Mo Dawson captures essences of the conversations in a mural that also takes shape as the story unfolds.
“The arts are a wonderful vehicle for expression and sharing, and for inspiring engagement, conversation and — hopefully, ultimately — action,” says Geo.
Takach, who grew up on Treaty 6 lands, says when he moved to what’s sometimes called BC, he noticed there was more recognition of Indigeneity, Indigenous peoples and their lands than he had experienced. This called him to educate himself through research, conversations and a lot of listening. From those relationships grew this 82-minute film, funded by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
“By putting things under a microscope and siloing them so we can understand them better, we learn a lot of great stuff,” notes Geo. “But a real danger in doing that is we lose sight of the totality. We miss the bigger picture, that everything is connected and related.” He smiles. “But in my heart, I believe we can reclaim our interconnectedness.”
Geo Takach further shares his learning in a related book titled Environmental Communication and Conciliation: Exploring Arts-Based and Indigenous Approaches, published last month by Bloomsbury. It’s also available as an e-book from the Royal Roads U Library.
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* The Faculty of Education and UBC seek to foster an environment in which respect, civility, diversity, opportunity and inclusion are valued.