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| A still from CEREMONY, directed by Banchi Hanuse |
Director Banchi Hanuse invites us into the ebb and flow of the Nuxalk people with the help of a radio station and a small, fatty fish. Together they operate as a gateway that bridges cultures and differences, bringing us into a people, a story, and hope that is deeply human.
Like so many stories told from the Indigenous lens, CEREMONY paints a picture of loss, theft, and maddening erasure. "Beautiful and tragic," radio host Qwaxw ruminates, as he visits a graveyard of Nuxalk people marked for sale as "Crown land." And indeed, these words could almost be the tagline to sum up the film. For while tragedy pervades this documentary and the stories you will hear, it's also surely set in one of the most beautiful place in the world: Bella Coola, British Columbia.
The fatty fish: CEREMONY tells a mystery, inviting us in as amateur detectives to help solve the case. Once upon a time, there were plentiful ooligan in the Bella Coola River. Sometimes called sputc, sometimes called eulachon or candlefish, these are small fish highly valued for their fatty oil content. Whether used as bait, pan fried and eaten, or converted into cooking oil, their appearance in the spring was always anticipated. Seen as a sign of the earth transitioning from winter to spring, the arrival was treated as a celebration for the community, with the same air of excitement we white folks would feel about attending the state fair. Twenty-five years ago, the ooligan disappeared, slowing to a trickle where once there was abundance.
Now, the people wait, wondering if the absence is permanent.
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| A still from CEREMONY, directed by Banchi Hanuse |
The radio station: Keeping the mystery alive, Nuxalk radio host Qwaxw broadcasts over the airwaves, interviewing guests that share their memories, knowledge, and theories about the ooligan's whereabouts. Where many documentaries include voiceover narration or interviews, the radio station segments allow us to hear from many of the players in the story through unfiltered words they are speaking to their own community: honest, relaxed, and expressive.
The radio station is a beacon, keeping the community connected and maintaining the hope that the ooligan will return again.
Filmed across a time period of 10 years, CEREMONY feels like a fairy tale told with hints of magic and nostalgia. On screen, the corners appear rounded like analog movies of the past, creating an intimate insider view of a people longing for the past. The radio station itself is a link of nostalgia between communities, bringing to mind the pre-digital age of communication. Occasional animated sequences introduce us to the spirit realm and truths going on beyond the visible world. Again, all of this invites us into the journey on a more personal level, breaking the barriers often present in documentary films.
While the disappearance of the ooligan serves as our initial gateway into this world, this mystery serves as an allegory to a larger story about the Nuxalk people – like the fish, they are a threatened species. Where lands of bounty and plenty exist, colonization and industrialism have tramped down, insisting on ownership instead of co-existence. We learn the people's history and the ugly ways others have tried to erase them from the earth. Yet they remain.
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| A still from CEREMONY, directed by Banchi Hanuse |
We meet Nuxalk people using the principles of science, religion, research, and political leverage to move the dial of progress. But the link that connects them all is storytelling. They share their memories of why the sputc matters to them and the truth of why their population has trickled from 8,000 people to only 250. Mother shares to son, a brother and sister keep their father's legacy alive, and an elder teaches a group of children how to harvest responsibly.
As I watched the film, it dawn on me that I was seeing an Indigenous version of nostalgia. Americans get critiqued a lot for their ability to wax poetic for the good old days, seeing the past through rose-colored lenses and ignoring parts that weren't ideal. But nostalgia has benefits, too. It keeps you connected to home and engenders a sense of belonging. If anyone deserves that, it's the Nuxalk people.
CEREMONY is screening in its World Premiere during SXSW 2026 in the Documentary Spotlight section. See the film details page for more information. https://schedule.sxsw.com/films/2241765
Final score: 3.5 out of 5
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