Aitamaako tamisskapi Natosi - Before the Sun

Growing up on her grandfather’s ranch, Logan Red Crow has been around horses as long as she can remember. The Siksika teenager was 15 in her first Indian relay and never looked back. As she prepares to make history by joining the men’s competition on the world’s largest stage at the Calgary Stampede, there’s no hiding from the dangers of North America’s original extreme sport. Racing around the track bareback at full speed is one thing, but it's during the change-up, when riders must jump from one horse to another, that the greater risk appears. 

As we follow her, we see Red Crow grow as an athlete and a person, alongside her mother, who has always supported her; her brothers, who help her race; her grandparents, who have shaped her worldview; and her father, who taught her how to raise horses. Together, they draw strength from one another as they chart a new path into the future while honoring their past. (Alexander Rogalski, Hot Docs)

Banchi Hanuse's doc takes us to the golden plains of Blackfoot Territory to the home of Logan Red Crow, a young Siksika woman whose passion is the Indian Relay. A sport for the truly brave, the Relay's bareback riders vault from horse to horse in short, exhilarating races. 

Gentle and reflective, yet unshakable in her determination, Logan is a champion in the making. Besides her skill and sheer grit, she has a loving family, an elite group of horses, and a home on her ancestral lands. Those are invaluable, but this rider will need more for victory. As Hanuse follows her through one competition after another, we see courage put to the test, and also get a picture of the other factors involved in the sport-including blind circumstance. 

Aitamaako'tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun offers the dual pleasures of serenity and suspense: we get leisurely, lyrical immersion in rural life as well as the thrill of rooting for victory. Logan's bond with her horses is palpable, and Hanuse shows us her tender interactions with them contrasted with gripping races. The animals are beautiful in their mute strength, and the director honors them with loving, graceful images. The connections explored here are profound and lasting: those between Father and Daughter, animal and human, family and community, ancestral tradition and contemporary life. Graceful, compelling and uplifting, this is an inspirational gem. It offers, through Logan, her horses, her family and her Nation, a portrait of radiant heroism. (Mike Archibald, IMDb)