Indigenous Voices: Documentaries
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- DirectorRichard GilbertStarsRobert DavidsonA man carves miniature totems.
- StarsHoward AbramsDave BoldtHarold CardinalShort film from the National Film of Canada on a meeting of aboriginal people at Duck Lake in 1967. The speakers all deal with the many difficulties native peoples face in society - discrimination, alcohol abuse, limited educational opportunities - and there is a fascinating debate at the end of the film on the value of native residential schools.
- DirectorWillie DunnA musical telling of the life of the Blackfoot Chief and the betrayal and fall of his tribe with the White conquest of the Canadian West.
- DirectorRoy DanielsWillie DunnMichael MitchellIndigenous spokespersons throw light upon Longhouse religion, culture, and government and discuss how the white man's arrival has impacted on the Indian way of life.
- DirectorMichael MitchellMort RansenStarsMichael MitchellA documentary about a group of native Americans near the Canadian border. They attempt to blockade a road that runs through their land, leading to the Canadian police getting involved to open the road.
- DirectorEugene BoykoStarsJames CarneyRobert DavidsonA study at the Indigenous peoples of Queen Charlotte Island.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinThe story of life at Christmas time in the settlement of Moose Factory, told through the words of children and shown in their crayon drawings.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsCésar NewashishA tribal elder from the Atikamekw community in Quebec tells stories from the past.
- DirectorThomas Shandel
- DirectorDonald BrittainA look at Indian chief Noel Starblanket as he does his job.
- DirectorTony IanzeloBoyce RichardsonStarsBoyce RichardsonSam BlacksmithRonnie JollySince times predating agriculture, Cree First Nations people have gone to the bush of the James Bay and Ungava Bay area to hunt.
- DirectorKathleen ShannonStarsAlanis Obomsawin
- DirectorTony WestmanStarsFrank AustinDarlene Malczewska
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinThe film documents efforts to raise funds for the James Bay Cree and was made at a time when Cree territory was threatened by hydro-electric projects.
- DirectorPhyllis FergusonStarsPhyllis Ferguson
- DirectorTony IanzeloStarsEarl Pennington
- DirectorJack LongStarsBill ReidThis documentary follows Haida artist Bill Reid, from British Columbia. A jeweller and wood carver, he works on a traditional Haida totem pole. We watch the gradual transformation of a bare cedar trunk into a richly carved pole to stand on the shores of the town of Skidegate, in the Queen Charlotte Islands of B.C.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinWild rice, an important food source, is frequently harvested by many Anishinaabe people. Sometimes traveling as far as 100 kilometers away, Anishinaabe people are seen in this installment harvesting grain in the area around Kenora, Ontario, Canada.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsAlanis ObomsawinA family in Nunavik, Quebec enjoy a summer day of fishing and berry picking. Two senior citizens are seen throat singing.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsAlanis ObomsawinSteve KowchLucien LessardDocumentary about a 1981 raid by the Quebec Provincial Police on a reserve in Quebec.
- DirectorCarol GeddesStarsGail ValaskakisMargaret JoeSophie PierreFive Native women from across Canada explain how they got to where they are in life today, and each of these women attests to the importance of Native culture in helping her to develop a sense of self.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsCory SwanDavid MitchellPauline KerikObomsawin's prescient 1986 film is a powerful tribute and an indictment of the mistreatment of Indigenous children by Canada's child welfare system.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsBrian EyahpaiseRon NabigonRoy Thomas
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinNative Canadians come to Montreal and find themselves homeless, hungry, and isolated. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and monotony reinforce their poverty.
- DirectorAlec G. MacLeodStarsMark ZannisThis documentary recounts the events that surrounded and led to the Oka Crisis of the summer of 1990. The film focuses on the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake, in Quebec, but also reflects on the relationship between Canada and Indigenous peoples at a particular time in history.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsRobert RedfordNorman ZigrossiRobert SikmaThis film describes the events surrounding a 1975 shootout at the Pine Ridge reservation in S. Dakota where two FBI agents were killed.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsJack BurningHerbie BarnesAlanis ObomsawinA film account about the military 1990 siege of a Native American reserve near Oka, Quebec, Canada and its causes.
- DirectorLoretta ToddStarsRena Point BoltonJoane Cardinal-SchubertDoreen JensenFour contemporary artists in the First Nations community reveal their approach to art and the history of indigenous peoples in Canada.
- DirectorGreg CoyesStarsTina KeeperDoug Bedard-This film follows the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and interweaves the passionate voices of First Nations, Inuit and Métis with the history of their relationship with Canada. The slow pace of land claim settlements, the reluctance to recognize self-government, the disproportionately high number of Aboriginal prisoners in prisons and the placement of Aboriginal children in residential schools are just some of the issues addressed.
- DirectorBob SmeatonStarsEric ClaptonRick DankoGeorge HarrisonAn interview show with discussion of how the eponymous album was recorded; all surviving members of The Band participated. Other musicians are also interviewed about the impact and influence of the album and The Band in general. Details include the four track method of recording that resulted in multiple parts being recorded on each track. The Band routinely traded instruments, who would sing, etc. to determine what worked best for each song. On many songs, members discussed their (or other) parts specifically and the track was played by itself to here the nuances of the recording. This program really shows both the raw talent of the group, but a level of creativity in making the music that is rarely seen in today's recording industry.
- DirectorCarol GeddesStarsCarol GeddesKeith SmarchMark PorterThe life and times of George Johnston, a photographer and keeper of memories for the Tlingit nation.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinThis documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin introduces us to Randy Horne, a high steel worker from the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, near Montreal. As a defender of his people's culture and traditions, he was known as "Spudwrench" during the 1990 Oka crisis. Offering a unique look behind the barricades at one man's impassioned defence of sacred territory, the film is both a portrait of Horne and the generations of daring Mohawk construction workers that have preceded him.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsAlanis ObomsawinGuy NadonThis feature documentary profiles a key element of the 1990 Oka crisis in which the Mohawk communities of Kahnawake and Kanehsatake stood against the Canadian military and Canadian citizens in a stand-off that turned violent. On August 28, 1990, a convoy of 75 cars left the Mohawk community of Kahnawake and crossed Montreal's Mercier Bridge-straight into an angry mob that pelted the vehicles with rocks. The targets of this violence were Mohawk women, children and elders leaving Kahnawake, in fear of a possible advance by the Canadian army. This film is the fourth in Alanis Obomsawin's landmark series on the Mohawk rebellions that shook Canada in 1990.
- DirectorJoseph BlasioliStarsColin LindenMuhammad AliGeorge ChuvaloA look at the life and career of boxing legend George Chuvalo and his boxing match with Muhammad Ali
- DirectorGil CardinalThis feature-length documentary traces the journey of the Haisla people to reclaim the G'psgolox totem pole that went missing from their British Columbia village in 1929. The fate of the 19th century traditional mortuary pole remained unknown for over 60 years until it was discovered in a Stockholm museum where it is considered state property by the Swedish government.
- DirectorTasha HubbardStarsAndrea MenardTrue story about the Saskatoon "freezing deaths" of numerous Aboriginal men by local police.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsKevin CloutierCharles GariépyMathieu Obomsawin GauthierIn one of only two narrative works by Alanis Obomsawin, an ostracized girl is comforted and counselled by the animals of the forest.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsEugene BenedictA portrait of Eugene "Gene Boy" Benedict, from Odanak Indian Reserve (near Montreal, Quebec), who enlisted in the US Marines at 17 and was sent to the frontlines of the Vietnam War.
- DirectorGil CardinalStarsGil Cardinal
- DirectorKaterina CizekStarsAlanis ObomsawinA portrait of Canadian filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin.
- DirectorTracey DeerStarsTracey DeerHilda NicholasAkwiratékha MartinWith moving stories from a range of characters from her Kahnawake Reserve, Mohawk filmmaker, Tracey Deer, reveals the divisive legacy of more than a hundred years of discriminatory and sexist government policy to expose the lingering "blood quantum" ideals, snobby attitudes and outright racism that threaten to destroy the fabric of her community.
- DirectorReaghan TarbellStarsReaghan TarbellMohawk high steel workers have a special place in North American history. The iconic New York skyline - with its great monuments to modernity - is the fruit of their labour.
- DirectorZoe Leigh HopkinsStarsDora HopkinsThis short impressionist documentary looks at the creation of a Button Blanket by integrating the performance of a traditional dance with the art of the West coast Heiltsuk people.
- DirectorFanny BräuningStarsRoxanne Two BullsJohn TrudellBruce EllisonThe movie is about the Kili Radio in Porcupine, in The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (SD). Several important Native Americans (and Whites), that have influenced Lakota culture over the years, are given a voice. Kili brings the Lakota and other Native Americans closer together.
- DirectorNeil DiamondCatherine BainbridgeJeremiah HayesStarsAdam BeachChris EyreRussell MeansThe history of the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films.
- DirectorJohn WalkerStarsBuffy Sainte-MarieA portrait of Canadian folk music icon Buffy Sainte-Marie
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsRosalie DumasDaphnée VincentJustine RollandAs the only First Nations student in an all-white 1940s school, eight-year old Wato is keenly aware of the hostility towards her. She deeply misses the loving environment of the reserve she once called home, and her isolation is sharpened by her father's serious illness. Wato's classmates' prejudice is aggravated when the teacher reads from a history book describing First Nations peoples as ignorant and cruel, and shy, vulnerable Wato becomes the target of their bullying and abuse. Alone in her suffering, she finds solace and strength in the protective world of her magical dreams.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsAlanis ObomsawinThis 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.
- DirectorMatt SmileyStarsNathan FillionTerry TeegeeMavis Erickson"Highway of Tears" is about the missing or murdered women along a 724 kilometer stretch of highway in northern British Columbia. None of the 18 cold-cases had been solved since 1969, until project E-Pana (a special division of the RCMP) managed to link DNA to Portland drifter, Bobby Jack Fowler with the 1974 murder of 16 year-old hitchhiker, Collen MacMillen. Why haven't the killers been found? Is this the work of one or several serial killers? In Canada, more than 500 cases of Aboriginal women have gone missing or been murdered since the 1960s. Half the cases have never been solved. Viewers will discover what the effects of generational poverty, residential schools, systemic violence, and high unemployment rates have done to First Nation reserves and how they tie in with the missing and murdered women in the Highway of Tears cases. Aboriginal women are considered abject victims of violence. Now find out what First Nation leaders are doing to try and swing the pendulum in the other direction.
- DirectorJoanne RobertsonStarsAlanis ObomsawinFirst Nations Canadian filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin talks about how she got her start at the NFB of Canada.
- DirectorAlanis ObomsawinStarsMarc-André BrunetAlain GoulemTony RobinowThis documentary profiles Indigenous leaders in their quest for justice as they seek to establish dialogue with the Canadian government. By tracing the history of their ancestors since the signing of Treaty No. 9, these leaders aim to raise awareness about issues vital to First Nations in Canada: respect for and protection of their lands and their natural resources, and the right to hunt and fish so that their societies can prosper. In recent years, an awareness-raising movement has been surfacing in First Nations communities. In this powerful documentary, those who refuse to surrender are given a chance to speak out.
- DirectorJeff BarnabyThe treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
- DirectorCaroline MonnetIn this bracing short cut from archival footage, people from Canada's First Nations move from the woods to the tops of New York skyscrapers-almost all of which have been built in part by Mohawk iron workers.
- DirectorTherese OttawaIt tells the story of Tony Chachai, a Indigenous person trying to find his identity.
- DirectorNyla InnuksukDocumentary about Inuit singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark.
- DirectorCaroline MonnetA glimpse at the important links between Aboriginal communities and natural resources in the Canadian North
- DirectorHeather HatchHeather Hatch always felt something was missing in her life. When she turned 16, she discovered she was Haida. After visiting Haida Gwaii many times over the next twenty years, Heather realized she wanted to join her clan and receive her Haida name. Woman Who Returns follows her journey, from visiting the remote shores of her ancestors' village to making a traditional Haida blanket with her Nuni.
- DirectorCatherine BainbridgeAlfonso MaioranaStarsGeorge ClintonRobbie RobertsonGary GiddinsA documentary about the role of Native Americans in popular music history.
- DirectorAsinnajaqThe story of the Inuk people.
- DirectorCaroline MonnetStarsClaude Aubin
- DirectorCaroline MonnetStarsAshley NicholsThe inner strength of a fascinating Chippewa female mixed martial artist
- DirectorGordon LoverinIn Canada, in a landmark case of government oppression, 23 indigenous men and women off British Columbia's coast, were jailed for being themselves. Now, decades later, the society that once found them barbaric and 'unchristian', embrace them with wonderment and spiritual curiosity. In this visually stunning documentary, viewers meet inspiring people from Vancouver to Alert Bay and from Terrace to the Yukon whose lives are rooted in their culture, and whose call to dance is...beyond human power.
- DirectorCharles WilkinsonStarsRobert DavidsonBen DavidsonReg DavidsonDirector Charles Wilkinson's evocative documentary beautifully explores how the artist Robert Davidson brought Haida culture back to its people.
- DirectorTasha HubbardStarsTasha HubbardThe story of the killing of Colten Boushie and his family's pursuit of justice.
- DirectorChristopher AuchterStarsVictor AdamsFlorence DavidsonReg DavidsonIn 1969, fifty years before this film is released, an indigenous community in Canada succeeds in constructing and erecting a totem pole, a practice which had been suppressed for decades by the local authorities.
- DirectorJanine WindolphIn this layered short film, filmmaker Janine Windolph takes her young sons fishing with their kokum (grandmother), a residential school survivor who retains a deep knowledge and memory of the land. The act of reconnecting with their homeland is a cultural and familial healing journey for the boys, who are growing up in the city. It's also a powerful form of resistance for the women.
- DirectorPatrick ShannonJenn StromAn imaginative take on the origin story of one of BC's most iconic Haida artists.
- DirectorCourtney Montour
- DirectorJennie WilliamsEvery January 6th, families in the Inuit community of Nain, Canada, celebrate Nalujuk Night, when eerie figures in tattered fur clothing arrive to reward the good and punish the bad.
- DirectorJosephine AndersonStarsWei-Hsin Lee
- DirectorGermaine ArnattaujuqNeil ChristopherCelina KallukAn animated illustration of a song of the Inuit land in their language.
- DirectorMadison ThomasStarsBuffy Sainte-MarieJayli WolfAn in-depth look at the life of the activist and musician, with archival material never seen before, with present-day footage of Buffy performing and interviews with her bandmates, colleagues and herself.
- DirectorTrevor Dixon BennettStyawat/Leigh Joseph is a Skwxwú7mesh Nation ethnobotanist. She grew up away from her traditional territory of Squamish, B.C. but in coming to a deeper understanding of her identity as a Skwxwú7mesh woman, felt called to move her family home. As she navigates walking between academic and cultural worlds, she contemplates her relationship with plants and their role as teachers. On the land where her ancestors have harvested since time beyond memory, her life purpose is awakened.
- DirectorBarbara GreeneDocumentary about the Indigenous peoples of Campbell Island, in British Columbia.