Set in Haida Gwaii in the 19th century, the epic thriller Edge of the Knife (SGaawaay Ḵ'uuna) adapts a classic Haida folk tale of a man left for dead in the forest who becomes the Gaagiid/Gaagiixiid, or “the Wildman.”
The first feature film to be released entirely in the critically endangered Haida language, the film was made with a Haida cast, who trained with fluent speakers to build proficiency in the language for filming. With sets, costumes, and props from traditional Haida craftspeople, Edge of the Knife is both visually engrossing cinema and socially minded catalyst for cultural revitalization.
Experience Haida culture through Sgaawaay Ḵʹuuna (Edge of the Knife) — the first feature film spoken entirely in dialects of the Haida language.
Set in the 1800s, at a time before European contact on Haida Gwaii, two families reunite at their summer fishing camp. Conflict and tragedy between Adiits’ii and his best friend Kwa soon tear the families apart. Consumed by grief, Adiits’ii transforms into Gaagiit/Gaagiixid (Wildman), a ravenous supernatural being caught between two worlds. While the community desperately tries to bring Adiits’ii back to his former self, Kwa wrestles with his deepest desire: revenge.
This film hits home not only for the contemporary Haida actors and community members who took on the challenge of bringing their fragile and endangered language to the screen, but also to countless Indigenous communities who face similar challenges worldwide.
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