After feeling the stress of finding work, homeschooling three kids, and staying home through the pandemic, Dene artist and actress Melaw NakehkSA国际影视传媒檕 said SA国际影视传媒渢his is too much," and, with her family, SA国际影视传媒渏ust threw everything in (her) truck and went to Dehcho.SA国际影视传媒�

The experience of life on the land with her kids and parents for the seasonSA国际影视传媒檚 turn is documented in her film. In her first filming and directing experience, NakehkSA国际影视传媒檕 highlights the power of slowing down, hitting reset, and connecting.

In such an uncertain time, when communities are devastated by the pandemic, NakehkSA国际影视传媒檕 says she feels lucky for the pristine Northern landscape. She says she's grateful for the time with her family and that it's important for her kids to know what theySA国际影视传媒檙e capable of and that they are able to be on the land for long periods of time.

SA国际影视传媒淭here were some really beautiful moments that we had as a family. We're definitely going to have a lot of memories from that time,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Among them, Nakehk'o was impressed by the work that her sons put into hauling wood, using the chainsaw, and her two older boys scraping an entire moose hide on their own.

"I was really proud of them for doing that. That's a big job," she says.

The film is part of a series from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) called The Curve. The idea is that filmmakers from around the country showcase different perspectives on the Covid experience. 

KSA国际影视传媒檌 Tah Amongst the Birch was one of three short motion pictures released to kick off the series. The CurveSA国际影视传媒檚 30 films will continue to roll out into the winter.  

Nakehk'o's documentary wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 planned. It came about from NFB producer Coty Savard seeing NakehkSA国际影视传媒檕SA国际影视传媒檚 social media posts about her time in Dehcho with her family and asking her if she would participate in the project. 

SA国际影视传媒淲ith all of the constant news that we were getting all the time, and this barrage of really scary stuff, there was Melaw's social media stories, and these little clips of her land camp and it was just like such a breath of fresh air,SA国际影视传媒� Savard says. 

Savard sees The Curve as a kind of time capsule of the Covid era. 

SA国际影视传媒淲e're all going through all of these brand new experiences, and we're feeling all of these new things, and something that can kind of showcase that, I think, is really important,SA国际影视传媒� she says. SA国际影视传媒淚 think that's what a lot of these films do, they are kind of just helping us through these really complex new experiences and emotions SA国际影视传媒� and that's what art is.SA国际影视传媒� 

NakehkSA国际影视传媒檕 is known to many for her role as a kidnapped Arikara woman in 2015 film The Revenant. She is also one of 10 founding members of Dene Nahjo collective, where she runs hide tanning camps and initiatives through the schools and other community partners.  

In the fall, the Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival in Ottawa will be releasing a documentary following her story, along with two others, as a hide tanner and their journeys to reclaiming the knowledge. 

On NFB's The Curve initiative, Nakehk'o says that it's "beautiful" to continue to see different perspectives of what people are doing as the world continues to cope with a global pandemic.