First Nations Films at Five: The complete films of Alanis Obomsawin

Governor General's Award-winning filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin is arguably Canada's foremost aboriginal filmmaker. In collaboration with the Atlantic Film Festival, the Dalhousie Art Gallery will be screening Obomsawin's entire filmography from 15 to 22 September. In addition, Alanis Obomsawin will deliver a lecture titled Documentary with a point of view as part of the Gallery's 2001-2 Critics Series: the lecture will take place in the Sir James Dunn Theatre (in the Arts Centre, two floors above the Art Gallery) on Wednesday, 19 September at 6 pm (directly after the screening of Incident at Restigouche).

Saturday, 15 September - Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance

NFB, 1993, 119 minutes

The tragic 1990 confrontation and standoff at Oka is seens through First Nations eyes. Obomsawin's intense, transformative vision captures the conflict from behind the barricades. Acclaimed as a classic when released in 1993, Kanehsatake is a dramatic, revealing and moving portrait of the reality of contemporary white and First Nations relations.

Sunday, 16 September - Amisk and Christmas at Moose Factory

NFB, 1977, 40 mins and NFB, 1971, 13 mins

Amisk follows a week-long festival of support for the Cree fight against the first James Bay Hydro Project. First Nations peoples from across the continent gathered, celebrated and stood witness to the struggle. Christmas at Moose Factory is Alanis Obomsawin's first NFB film, telling the stoary of Christmas through the drawings and paintings of the children of that remote James Bay community. 

Monday, 17 September - Mother of Many Children and Our Dear Sisters

NFB, 1977, 58 mins; directed by Kathleen Shannon, NFB, 1975, 14 mins

Mother of Many Children presents portraits of First Nations women who share a belief in tradition as a source of strength in the face of change. Our Dear Sisters is a brief portrait of Alanis Obomsawin by Kathleen Shannon made for the NFB's groundbreaking Studio D women's program series titled Working Mothers.

Tuesday, 18 September - Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Metis Child and Poundmaker's Lodge: A Healing Place

NFB, 1986, 29 mins and NFB, 1987, 29 mins

Cry from a Diary of a Metis Child is a moving tribute to Richard Cardinal, a Metis adolescent and foster child who committed suicide. Poundmaker's Lodge is a Native healing place that uses traditional methods in dealing with drug and alcohol addiction amongst First Nations peoples.

Wednesday, 19 September - Incident at Restigouche

NFB, 1984, 46 mins

Perhaps one of the most important films ever made about relations between First Nations peoples and white governments, Incident at Restigouche tells the story of the fishing disputes between the Mi'kmaq of Restigouche and the PQ regime in Quebec City. Eerily prophetic, the film clearly foretells of both the conflict at Oka and the disputes revolving around the recent Marshall decision.

Thursday, 20 September - No Address and Walker

NFB, 1988, 55 mins and NFB 1991, 13 mins

Young aboriginal people in urban areas in search of jobs and a better life sometimes end up on the street. No Address is Obsomsawin's portrait of First Nations peoples off the reserve in the city. Walker is Obomsawin's only drama, a gentle short story of a young first nation's boy finding friendship.

Friday, 21 September - Le Patro Le Provost: 80 Years Later and My Name is Kahentiiosta

NFB, 1991, 29 mins and NFB 1995, 30 mins

The first film presents an intimate visit to Montreal's Le Prevost, a Christian non-profit volunteer organization in operation since 1909. My name is Kahentiiosta follows the post-Oka story ofa young womean who insisted on using her traditional name through the legal wrangles that took place after the standoff.

Saturday, 22 September - Spudwrench, Kahnawake Man

NFB, 1997, 58 mins

Mohawk high-steel worker Randy Horne is the latest of several generations of First Nations men to work on skyscrapers all over the North American continent. Obomsawin's portait examines how he and his family have balanced the continuance of their own culture against the demands of high risk occupations and the new developments after Oka.

A special ticketed screening of Obomsawin's Rocks at Whiskey Trench (NFB, 2000, 105 mins) will be presented at the Park Lane Cinemas on Friday, 21 September at 7:00 pm. This feature documentary on the events surrounding the Oka crisis of the summer of 1990 concerns the evacuation of women and elders from Kahnawake. The convoy of 75 cars was stoned by angry LaSalle residents, resulting in at least one death and marking an extraordinary deterioration in relations between white and aboriginal neighbours. This presentation is sponsored by the Aboriginal Peoples' Television Network.