2025, 21 minutes, Dome film
Directors: Lisa Jackson & the Macronauts
Producer: Brittany Ryan
Co-Producers: Amee Le, Jason Ryle
English narrated by Wilfred Buck
French version: Les histoires d’étoiles de Wilfred Buck (French narrated by Sébastien Aubin)
Cree version: Wilfred Buck Ininiw Acakosuk (Cree narrated by Randy Morin)
From the practical to the poetic, these “tellings” of the Northern
night sky provide guidance on navigation, the earth’s cycles, and how to live a good life with future generations in mind. WILFRED BUCK’S STAR STORIES offers a rarely heard perspective on astronomy and cosmology. Marvel at immersive night sky cinematography, cosmos CGI, and beautiful macro cinematography of meteorites set to a transporting soundtrack in this expansive yet intimate experience that combines the wonder of the universe with the warmth of listening to a wise Elder whose teachings can help us understand that the stars are in fact our oldest relatives.
This work is a sister project of the hybrid feature documentary “Wilfred Buck” (2024, 96 minutes) also directed by Lisa Jackson, which premiered in March 2024 at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen and was a top five audience pick at the 2024 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
Lisa Jackson – Director/Producer
Lisa Jackson is one of Canada’s premiere artists and an award-winning creator of film and television, VR, and multimedia installation work. As a director, her projects have screened at Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, Berlinale, and Hot Docs, won two Canadian Screen Awards (Canada’s Oscar), been nominated for a Webby and broadcast widely. In 2020, she launched Door Number 3 Productions and premiered feature documentary “Wilfred Buck” in 2024, with screenings at CPH:DOX (DOX:AWARD) and Hot Docs, where it was a Top 5 audience choice. She’s received the prestigious Chicken & Egg Award (2022), and the Documentary Organization of Canada Vanguard Award (2021). She’s Anishinaabe, lives in Toronto, has an MFA from York University, and attended the TIFF Talent Lab and Writers Studio.
Wilfred Buck – Narrator
Wilfred Buck is an Ininew (Cree) writer, educator and one of the foremost experts on Indigenous star knowledge. A member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Buck spent over a decade as a Science Facilitator at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, researching and consulting with elders about the astronomical knowledge of Cree, Anishinaabe and Lakota peoples. He has been recognized internationally for his efforts to share this knowledge through museum exhibits, films, panel discussions, and public lectures. For nearly two decades, Wilfred Buck has used a portable planetarium to teach First Nations students about the stars (“achakosuk” in Cree) and is the author of two books exploring the night sky from an Indigenous perspective, including “Kitcikisik (Great Sky).” He was awarded the 2023 Qilak Award by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada for his significant contributions to astronomy.
His autobiography, “I Have Lived Four Lives,” recounts his journey from the trauma of state-sanctioned oppression to becoming a respected educator, marked by resilience and healing. In 2018, he received the Outstanding Indigenous Educator Award from the Canadian Teachers Federation. He also helped name the star Nikawiy and its exoplanet Awasis in Cree. Buck is a cultural icon whose remarkable life and work are chronicled in Lisa Jackson’s 2024 feature documentary “Wilfred Buck”.
The Macronauts – Co-Directors
The Macronauts are a Montreal-based collective of multidisciplinary artists blending art, science, and exploration to tell the stories of life and the cosmos. From their expeditions across oceans to their nights under starry skies, they create immersive works that explore our connection to nature and celebrate its delicate beauty.
Their creations, such as the immersive work The Ballet of Plankton at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris or the 360° film Total Eclipse at the Montréal Planetarium, offer unique experiences where the infinitely small meets the infinitely vast, inviting contemplation and wonder.
Brittany Ryan – Producer
Brittany Ryan (she/her) is a a Vancouver-based mixed race Chinese and Red River Métis producer and arts administrator living on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Working across disciplines and roles, Brittany has dedicated her career to nurturing new works created by Indigenous and culturally diverse artists. Brittany is a Producer on Wilfred Buck’s Star Stories and Associate Producer for Wilfred Buck as well as the B.C. Lead of Business Affairs for Bizable Media.
Jason Ryle – Co-Producer
Jason Ryle is an Anishinaabe producer, curator & programmer, and story editor. He is currently the International Programmer for Australia, New Zealand, and Global Indigenous Cinema at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Formerly the Executive Director of imagineNATIVE, he has supported Indigenous filmmakers and media artists for over a decade, including roles as an Advisor at Berlinale and overseeing the Indigenous Cinema stand at the European Film Market. In 2021, Jason received the Clyde Gilmour Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association for his contributions to Canadian film.
Amee Le – Co-Producer
Amee Le is a Vietnamese-French-Canadian film producer and production manager with an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. Her career spans both arts administration and film production, including recent projects such as Tales From the Rez Season 2 and Wilfred Buck’s Star Stories. Amee is also Project Manager for the Indigenous Cinema Alliance at Berlinale’s European Film Market and coordinates the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund’s Witness short film training program on climate change.
Door Number 3 – Production
Door Number 3 Productions (D3) is Lisa Jackson’s Toronto based company, known for creating innovative media content in collaboration with talented, diverse creatives to tell compelling and important stories.
With a reputation for out-of-the-box thinking and a commitment to positive change, story and accessibility are core to what D3 does. Working across and between genres, they assemble teams that deliver high-quality projects that are visually striking but never style over substance.