Ask The Plantain (2023)

Premiering at the 30th annual Slamdance Film Festival

Synopsis

In a powerful exploration of her Greek Canadian heritage, a woman embarks on an introspective journey through the depths of her heart, akin to traversing a black hole, in search of the gifts hidden within her wounds. Guided by the presence of the plantain, a resilient plant often referred to as "white man's footprints" due to its association with European settlers, she unravels the fragmented threads of an ancient myth and pre-Hellenic ceremony. Through this profound exploration, she seeks to rediscover the art of navigating the loss of identity and the cyclical nature of life's transitions.

Writer/Director/Editor: Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos

Executive Producers: Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos, Boldly, Shelby Manton, Geoff Manton, Kristoff Duxbury, Sebastien Galina 

Producer: Shelby Manton

Director of Photography: Antonia Rameriez

Editor: Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos

Directors Statement

"Ask the Plantain" holds immense personal significance for me, as it delves into an internal journey I have undergone over the years. This film serves as a means for me to confront a metaphorical black hole that resided within my heart—a longing and unconscious restlessness stemming from growing up on privileged lands that my ancestors did not originate from. This liminal space, where I felt neither fully belonging to my surroundings nor my ancestral heritage, prompted me to seek understanding.

Through forging deep connections with indigenous communities, participating in ceremonial environments, and immersing myself in understanding Canada's colonial history, I have embarked on a transformative path. My involvement began in 2012, when I volunteered during Chief Theresa Spense's hunger strike at the onset of the powerful Idle No More movement. These experiences, alongside the guidance of my teachers, friends, and elders, have reconnected me with a decolonial earth-based perspective that is not readily accessible through my own ancestral lineage.

Authors like Robin Wall Kimmerer’s words have played an instrumental role in directing me towards rediscovering my ancestral roots and heritage. A strong desired was sparked within me to return to my origins and embrace the teachings of the plantain plant on a profound, embodied level. While intellectual comprehension is valuable, true growth comes from embodying these teachings.

"Ask the Plantain" serves as my personal and spiritual inquiry into the notion of returning home—to myself, my ancestral roots, and the land. I hope that this film resonates with and inspires others to undertake their own journeys of self-discovery and reconnection. By collectively gathering the teachings and medicines from our diverse cultures,  I believe we can find compassion for one another through our interconnected nature and bring together creative solutions to the pressing global issues we face as humanity. This hybrid film expresses my internal search and the cycles that accompany it.