VICTORY SONG: TRIBUTE TO ALANIS OBOMSAWIN*

*SAKOZIWI LINTOW8GAN : KWSILAWIHODW8GANEK ALANIS OBOMSAWIN

As part of Aabiziingwashi (WideAwake): NFB Indigenous Cinema on Tour, Skol presents a series of documentaries and a conference by Alanis Obomsawin. 

Skol kinamodlha wakasnol m8dkadawikh8ganal ali Alanis Obomsawin kizit8zo ta awiklozow8gan agmak. Wji iawinska kassigaden, na aln8baskwa kwsilawito mlikigek apchig8bow8gan kdakik Kanadaï aln8bak nspiwi wm8dkadawikh8ganal.

October 23rd – October 28th, 2017

(suite, Trick or Treaty? October 31st – November 18th, 2017)

Free admission, all are welcomed

Nda kd’achwi 8bankawba wji pidigaw8gan, t8wdata mziwik pm8wzowinnoak.

 

Project description

Alanis Obomsawin’s colossal body of work portrays Canada’s Native people’s great force of resistance; its territory, its children and community, its claims and power of action. A gaze at once intimate and acute on problems and injustices that concern Native people, this series of documentaries has the power to counteract misinformation, while inspiring a deep sense of human dignity and solidarity.

 

PROJECTION AND CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Monday, October 23^rd

7 p.m.: Kanehsatake, 270 ans de résistance (Kanehsatake, 270 years of resistance) (1993, 1 h 59 min. French)

On a hot July day in 1990, an historic confrontation propelled Indigenous issues in Kanehsatake and the village of Oka, Québec, into the international spotlight and into the Canadian conscience.

Tuesday, October 24^th

7 p.m.: Je m’appelle Kahentiiosta (My name is Kahentiiosta) (1996, 30 min. English with French subtitles)

This documentary short by Alanis Obomsawin tells the story of Kahentiiosta, a young Kahnawake Mohawk woman arrested after the Oka Crisis’ 78-day armed standoff in 1990. She was detained 4 days longer than the other women. Her crime? The prosecutor representing the Quebec government did not accept her aboriginal name.

7 :45 p.m.: Le peuple de la rivière Kattawapiskak (The people of the Kattawapiskak River) (2012, 50 min. English-French with French subtitles)

This documentary exposes the housing crisis faced by 1,700 Cree in Northern Ontario, a situation that led Attawapiskat’s band chief, Theresa Spence, to ask the Canadian Red Cross for help. With the Idle No More movement making front page headlines, this film provides background and context for one aspect of the growing crisis.

Wednesday, October 25^th

7 p.m.: La couronne cherche-t-elle à nous faire la guerre? (Is the crown at war with us?) (2002, 1h36 min. English-French with French subtitles)

“It was the summer of 2000 and the country watched with disbelief as federal fishery officers appeared to wage war on the Mi’gmaq fishermen of Esgenoopetitj, or Burnt Church, New Brunswick. Why would officials of the Canadian government attack citizens for exercising rights that had been affirmed by the highest court in the land?”

Thursday, October 26^th

7 p.m.: La survie de nos enfants (Our Nationhood) (2003, 1h36 min. English-French with French subtitles)

In this feature documentary, Alanis Obomsawin chronicles the determination and tenacity of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq people to use and manage the natural resources of their traditional lands.

Friday, October 27^th

7 p.m.: On ne peut pas faire deux fois la même erreur (We can’t Make the same Mistake Twice) (2016, 2h43 min. English-French with French subtitles)

In this documentary, distinguished filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin focuses her lens on the landmark discrimination case filed by the Assembly of First Nations and the Child and Family Caring Society of Canada against Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada in 2007. Obomsawin exposes injustices to the community by showing how the child and welfare services provided to them are vastly inferior to the services available to other Canadian children, while giving voice to the childcare workers at the heart of the battle.

Saturday, October 28^th

1:30 p.m.: Hi-Ho Mistahey! (2014, 1h,English-French with French subtitles) followed by a talk with Alanis Obomsawin

In this feature-length documentary, Alanis Obomsawin tells the story of Shannen’s Dream, a national campaign to provide equitable access to education in safe and suitable schools for First Nations children. Strong participation in this initiative eventually brings Shannen’s Dream all the way to the United Nations in Geneva.

 

*Produced and distributed by the National Film Board of Canada

Credits: Image taken from the documentary Trick or Treaty?, Alanis Obomsawin, 2014, National Film Board of Canada.

Photos : Catherine Goyette