Top 10 Native Films for High School Students

7/27/2019 Top 10 Native Films for High School Students

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Using Native-made mediain your teaching practice

HOW TO USE THIS

RESOURCE

This curriculum resource is

intended to be used by senior level

(high school) teachers. In these

pages, youll find ten films that canbe used to provide senior level

students (Grades 10-12) with

engaging material to broaden their

knowledge of Native peoples on

Turtle Island (North America).

The ten films listed were

carefully selected to showcase the

rich and diverse world of Native

cinema. With one exception, this

top ten list is comprised entirely

by films by Native directors and/

or producers, about Native

peoples. The films vary in genre

from drama to documentary,

comedy to classic.

For each film youll find the

following information:

Title of film

Main credits (e.g. year of

release, writer, producer,

etc.)

Information on how to

access the film

A brief synopsis that

highlights why the film

would be an important

resource to share with

your students

Central themes and events

in the film

Information on the

filmmaker

For other resources to help

you integrate the perspectives,

talents, and diversity of Native

peoples across Turtle Island into

your teaching practice, explore

the online Deepening

Knowledge Project

(www.oise.utoronto.ca/

deepeningknowledge).

TOP 10 NATIVE FILMS

FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

acurriculumre

source
http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledgehttp://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledgehttp://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledgehttp://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledge


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Year of Release 1994

Length 54 minutes, 42 seconds

Director & Writer Christine Welsh (Mtis)Editor Lara Mazur

Production National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Genre Documentary

Subtitles Not available

Availability Ask your local public library or visit www.nfb.org

Brief Synopsis

Mtis filmmaker Christine Welsh begins her film with thequestion, What kind of warriors do we need to be in this day

and age? Welsh paints full pictures of indigenous women whoare keeping the fires burning for their sisters and the cominggenerations. With Welshs soft guidance, we learn that the issuesbeing tackled by indigenous women today are as varied as theterritories of this vast nation. From the courthouses to thecommunity centres, the forests to the big city, the womenwarriors featured in this film are our modern heroines.

Central Themes and Events

Mohawk defence of Oka (The Oka Crisis)In the summer of 1990, a peaceful protest grew into a violentstandoff between Mohawk warriors and the Canadian Army in

a community in Southwestern Quebec. See the profile of thefilm Kanehsatake for more information.

Questioning traditionsIn Keepers of the Fire, we meet Shirley Bear, a Malliseet artist,

activist and feminist who challenges indigenous traditions thatshe feels are discriminatory to women. Many indigenouswomen have used their art to speak out against such culturalpractices and to inspire new ways of fostering community thatare inclusive, positive, and meaningful.

Aboriginal womens sheltersThe Anduhyaun Aboriginal Womens Shelter profiled inKeepers of the Fire continues to provide essential services towomen in the capital city of Toronto. Shelters such as this oftedo not receive adequate funding and are often struggling toprovide the services that are needed in the communities thatthey serve. As is clear in Welshs film, these types of spaces arehavens for many native women who need extra support as they

discover their full potential.

About the Filmmaker

Christine Welsh is a Mtis filmmaker who has created animpressive and critically-acclaimed body of work, ranging insubject matter from residential schools to Coast Salish knittingtraditions. She is currently a professor in the Womens StudiesDepartment at the University of Victoria.

Keepers of the FireDirected by Christine Welsh (Mtis)

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Christine Welsh, Mtisfilmmaker

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Still image from thefilm
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Director & Writer AlanisObomsawin (Abenaki)

Editor Rita Roy

Production National Film Board ofCanada (NFB)

Genre Documentary


Availability Available for freestreaming or download at www.nfb.org

Brief Synopsis

Famed filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin(Abenaki) begins at the suicide of ayoung Mtis boy, Richard Cardinal, andtravels backwards in an effort todiscover how this precious child waslost. Through the use of dramatizedsequences and a variety of first-handdocuments, such as court scripts andCardinals diaries, a tragic narrative ofloss, abuse and mental illness unravels.Thanks to the guiding force of the skillful

editing and Obomsawins soothingnarrative voice, this film was able toinspire a successful campaign of reformof Albertas child services system.

Please note that this film deals withsensitive matter, including suicide andchild abuse. There are no graphic scenesin the movie but there is explicitdiscussion delivered by the intervieweesand read directly from RichardCardinals diary.


The 60s ScoopDuring the 1960s people living on nativereservations across Canada were facingthird-world conditions, includingunsanitary water systems, crumblinghomes, and unstable food supplies.Instead of addressing these conditionsand proposing real solutions, theCanadian state adopted a policy of

relocating native children. Many of thesechildren had their names forciblychanged and were placed with non-nativefamilies. Unfortunately, Richard

Cardinals story of a child who wasshuffled among numerous foster familiesand failed by the system is notexceptional.

About the Filmmaker

As the only native Canadian womanfilmmaker to have been the subject of awritten autobiography, AlanisObomsawin is nothing short of anational heroine. Her distinctive style anddistinct values as an artist have brought

her great national and internationalrecognition, including the GovernorGenerals award in 2001 and fourhonourary doctorate degrees. Since herbeginnings as a filmmaker in the late60s, Obomsawin has amassed anastonishing body of work totaling over 30documentary films. From homelessness topolice brutality, childrens artwork to landclaims, Obomsawin has left few stonesunturned in her journey as one of themost important filmmakers of her

generation. For more information, visitthe National Film Board of Canadaswebsite (www.nfb.org) or read RandolfLewis autobiography, AlanisObomsawin.

This film was able toinspire a successful

campaign of reform

of Albertas child

services system

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Richard Cardinal: Cry From the Diary of a Mtis ChildDirected by Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
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Directors Shelley Niro (Turtle Clan,Bay of Quinte Mohawk) and AnnaGronau

Editor Rita Roy

Distributor Women Make Movies

Genre Experimental drama


Availability Available for purchase foreducational purposes at the CanadianFilmmakers Distribution Centrewww.cfmdc.org

Brief Synopsis

Complete with dream sequences, dancenumbers, and layered symbolism, ShellyNiros film explores the complex andhybrid nature of contemporaryindigenous identities through thecharacter exploration of one youngfictional woman. We follow Shana as sheattempts to navigate the spaces betweenher indigenous ancestry and her life as amodern businesswoman. Along this

journey of self-discovery, Shana is guidedby her three aunts who light up thescreen with their colourful outfits andflamboyant mannerisms. The film closeson a celebratory note with fireworksexploding over the famous Niagara Fallsin the shape of Turtle Island. Niro hasdedicated this film to Native womenaround the world.


Contemporary Indigenous IdentitiesMany young Native people are facedwith the challenge of reconciling theirancestry and traditions (both of whichmay be scattered or unknown) and themodern world in which individualitystands paramount to community. Thesestruggles and contradictions have beenthe focus of many young artists, who areproducing zines, music, short stories, andother forms of subversive media toexpress themselves and inspire dialogue.

Central to these forms of expression isthe question,How do we go forward whenso much has been lost? Artistic creationcan help create new ways of

understanding individual and collectiveidentities and can inspire hope in thefutures of young Native people.

About the Filmmaker

Unlike Alanis Obomsawin or TraceyDeer, Shelly Niro has not enjoyed thesame access to resources in the makingof her films. The National Film Boardof Canada has produced many of thefeature-length documentaries made byindigenous filmmakers that have

received critical attention mostly thanksto the distribution power and financialresources belonging to our nationalproduction house. Discovering filmssuch as It Starts with a Whisper is akinto finding a gemstone among theproverbial rubble of contemporaryfeature films. Shelly Niro is an inspiringMohawk filmmaker who sings her ownsongs and drums her own beat, soundingrhythms to move our spirits.

A still image from the film of Shana, the films

protagonist

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It Starts With a WhisperDirected by Shelley Niro and Anna Gronau
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Length 73 minutes

Director & Writer Christine Welsh (Mtis)

Producer Svend-Erik Erriksen

Editor Janice Brown


Genre Documentary

Subtitles Available in English and French

Availability Available online from the National Film Boardof Canada www.nfb.org

Brief Synopsis

We follow filmmaker Christine Welsh on a journey to findDawn Crey, an indigenous woman who was taken fromVancouvers East Side and murdered. From this one womansstory we come to understand the pervasive nature of violenceagainst Canadas aboriginal women. Among the pain we alsowitness great beauty, which allows us to both awaken to the diresituation of and honour the lost lives of the stolen sisters.

Please note that this film deals with sensitive subject matter,including sexual violence and murder. There are no graphicscenes.


Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women (the Stolen Sisters)Hundreds of aboriginal women have been murdered or havegone missing across Canada. A few cases have been brought tocourt and have garnered wide press but the majority of cases

are overlooked. The situation is nothing short of a nationalcrisis. Amnesty Internationals Stolen Sisters report plainlystates that the Canadian government must do more to ensurethe right belonging to indigenous women to be safe and freefrom violence.

Vancouvers Downtown East SideThis area of British Columbias capital city is known as adangerous place for women, especially indigenous women.Though it is mostly known as an area of violence, sex work,illicit drug abuse, and homelessness, it has also been profiled inunderground zines and street newspapers as a place wherenuggets of love and community can be found in spite of an

atmosphere of pain and loss.

Highway 16 (Highway of Tears)This stretch of road in the Northern Interior of B.C. has beenthe site of many murders and disappearances. In FindingDawn, we witness an annual march to commemorate thewomen and girls who have lost their lives along Highway 16.

About the Filmmaker

Christine Welsh is a Mtis filmmaker who has created animpressive and critically-acclaimed body of work, ranging insubject matter from residential schools to Coast Salish knittingtraditions. She is currently a professor in the Womens StudiesDepartment at the University of Victoria.

Finding Dawn

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Length 89 minutes

Director Chris Eyre (Cheyenne and Arapaho)

Writer Sherman Alexie (Spokane)

Editor Brian Berdan

Distributor Miramax Films

Genre Feature comedy/drama

Subtitles Available in English

Availability Available from many public libraries and videorental stores

Brief Synopsis

Formerly titled, This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona, thisaward-winning feature drama has enjoyed considerable successas a well-told road trip story. The films official title hints at theemotional journey that the two protagonists, Victor andThomas, embark on at the news of the death of Victors father.The two boys leave the Couer dAlene Indian Reservation inIdaho for the dry plains of Arizona where truths, pain, andredemption are to be found.


Fathers and SonsVictor Joseph is one of the central characters of this film. Hisfather, Arnold, leaves home for Arizona when Victor is a boy.

The tumultuous relationship between this father and son duo isstrained by the fathers alcohol addiction. This type ofrelationship is a common topic of indigenous media. Thenarrative in Smoke Signals helps both the characters and theaudience to reconcile Victors painful memories and looktowards a brighter future.

Remaking the road trip movieThe use of the well-known structure of the road-trip movie inthe telling of this story of redemption and reconciliation allowsthe audience to share in the main characters moments ofdiscovery and acceptance. Reclaiming and reinventing thisfamiliar cinematic structure is part of the process ofdecolonizing the screen and creating a new native medialanguage.

About the Writer

In reference to his work on Smoke Signals, writer Sherman Alexidescribes himself as a ground breaking artist. Though hisconfidence may catch us off guard, there is good reason forAlexies boastfulness. Few native films have been able to attractthe type of success that has been won by this feature drama.The films great success as a piece of cinematic storytellingspeaks to Alexies skills as a writer, as the film was based off of collection of short stories titled The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfigh

in Heaven.

Smoke SignalsDirected by Chris Eyre (Cheyenne and Arapaho)

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An image of theoriginal movie poster

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A still from the film ofthe two maincharacters


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Director & Writer Tracey Deer(Mohawk)

Editor Carl Freed

Production National Film Board ofCanada (NFB) and Re[z]olutionPictures

Genre Documentary

Subtitles Available in English andFrench

Availability Available for free

streaming or download at www.nfb.org

Brief Synopsis

As a member of the Mohawkcommunity of Kahnaw:ke, filmmakerTracey Deer is able to guide us throughintensely sensitive spaces and topics. Inthis film, for which Deer was the firstMohawk woman to receive a prestigiousGemini award, the question at hand isthat of Kanienkeh:ka membership. Thecontroversial nature of tribal policies are

infused with life and laughter throughinterviews with four women who haveeach had very different and poignantexperiences with navigating the politics ofbelonging in this community inSouthwestern Quebec.


The Indian ActIn her film Deer offers a brief andhumourous explanation of this overtlyracist piece of national legislation that

discriminates against indigenous womenwho marry non-native persons bydenying their children native status.Other countries have mirrored this act intheir attempts to oppress their ownindigenous populations.

Blood QuantumOne of the legacies of scientific racism isthe measurement of an individualsethnicity through their ancestry, thereby

determining the percentage of theirblood that is white, black, or native,for example. Kanienkeh:kamembership is currently determined inpart by the purity of an individualsancestry.

About the Filmmaker

Tracey Deer is one of Canadas mostpromising young Indigenous filmmakerswith a growing body of work that is bothchallenging and full of heart. By

showcasing others vibrant and excitingtalents in her films, she is participating inthe process of reshaping the portrayal ofaboriginal women on the big screen.

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Club NativeDirected by Tracey Deer (Mohawk)


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Director & Writer Alanis Obomsawin(Abenaki)

Editor Yurij Luhovy

Producer National Film Board ofCanada (NFB)

Genre Documentary

Subtitles Available in English andFrench

Availability Available for free viewingvia the National Film Board of Canadaswebsite (www.nfb.org)

Brief Synopsis

Touted by the Canadian BroadcastingCorporation (CBC) as one of the mostimportant Canadian films ever made,Kanehsatake has been one ofObomsawins most successful andrevolutionary documentaries to grace thescreen. Randolf Lewis, in his biographyof the celebrated filmmaker, citesObosawins 78 days behind the razorwire at Oka one of the greatunacknowledged acts of courage in thedocumentary tradition. Out of the 250hours of footage that Obomsawincaptured during the Mohawk defense ofOka, Kanehsatake is considered the firstact in a group of four films that centreon the horrors, successes, and stories ofthe infamous summer of 1990.

Please note that there are discussions andsome scenes of violence in this film.


Mohawk Defense of Oka (The Oka Crisis)The communities of Kahnaw:ke andKanehsatake were catapulted into themedia spotlight in the summer of 1990when Mohawk warriors were forced todefend the sacred pines that were set tobe demolished for the expansion of a golfcourse. What started off as a peacefulprotest grew into a violent standoffbetween Mohawk warriors and the

Canadian Army, leaving indigenouspeople and allies across the countryhorrified.

About the Filmmaker

As the only native Canadian womanfilmmaker to have been the subject of awritten autobiography, AlanisObomsawin is nothing short of anational heroine. Her distinctive styleand distinct values as an artist havebrought her great national andinternational recognition, including theGovernor Generals award in 2001 andfour honourary doctorate degrees.Since her beginnings as a filmmaker in

the late 60s, Obomsawin has amassedan astonishing body of work totalingover 30 documentary films. Fromhomelessness to police brutality,childrens artwork to land claims,Obomsawin has left few stonesunturned in her journey as one of themost important filmmakers of hergeneration. For more information, visitthe National Film Board of Canadaswebsite (www.nfb.org) or read RandolfLewis autobiography, AlanisObomsawin.

One of the most famous images

from the Mohawk Resistance at

Oka, a white soldier facing off with

a Mohawk Warrior

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Kanehsatake: 270 Years of ResistanceDirected by Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
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Length 49 minutes

Director & Writer Tasha Hubbard (Cree)

Producer Bonnie Thompson

Editor Harley Michailuck


Genre Documentary


Availability Available online from the National Film Boardof Canada www.nfb.org

Brief Synopsis

This intensely gripping made-for-TV documentary opens withan establishing shot of steam rising up from the SouthSaskatchewan River, the lifeline that runs through thedowntown of the provincial capital. It is a bitterly cold night on

January 28th

, 2000 and the frozen city glows with an eerie bluelight. The thermometers read at a bone-chilling 20 below. Welearn that on this night, Saskatoon police left Darrell Night, an

aboriginal man, on the outskirts of town to freeze to death.Beginning with this hook,Hubbard unravels a string ofunsolved murders that lurk as one of Canadas most chillingsecrets.

Please note that this film deals with sensitive subject matter,including violence and murder. There are no graphic scenes.


The Freezing Deaths in SaskatoonDuring the making of Two Worlds Colliding, filmmaker TashaHubbard found herself documenting the immediateproceedings of what she describes as one of the most shockingrevelations against a police force in Canadian history. TheSaskatoon police were caught up in a storm of accusations inrelation to the freezing deaths of a number of aboriginalmen. These murders must be understood in an historicalcontext of colonial violence and institutionalized oppression.

About the Filmmaker

Tasha Hubbard made Two Worlds Colliding for broadcast ontelevision but her work has grown far beyond its originalconception. We can be sure to expect great things fromHubbard, who was able to demonstrate tremendous sensitivityand respect for those whose lives have been forever changed bythe events profiled in her first film.

Two Worlds Colliding

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Length 174 minutes

Director Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)

Writer Sherman Alexie (Spokane)

Editors Zacharias Kunuk, Norman Cohn, and Marie-Christine Sarda

Production Germaine Ying Gee Wong and IsumaProductions (www.isuma.ca)

Genre Feature drama


Availability Available from many public libraries and videorental stores

Brief Synopsis

This feature drama has seen tremendous success and is hailedas paving the way for similar films made exclusively byindigenous peoples. The film was the top grossing release of2002 in Canada and has received a slew of awards, both athome and abroad. We begin at the dawn of time and are ledthrough Kunuks interpretation of an ancient Inuit legendplayed by an all-indigenous cast in Inuktitut. Sex, murder,deceit and betrayal are the foodstuffs of this feature thatcontinue to capture the imaginations of filmgoers around theworld.


Inuit Mediahe Inuit Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) is the voice of theNorth and has a solid history of producing meaningful media,

ranging from documentaries on substance abuse to childrenstelevision programming. Many Inuit media artists, includingmany of the front people of Atanarjuat, were introduced to theworlds of the screen through work with the IBC. See the filmStarting Fire With Gunpowder (Dir. David Poisey & WilliamHansen, NFB, 1991) and www.inuitbroadcasting.cafor more.

StorytellingAtanarjuathas faced some criticism for its use of a traditionallegend in the medium of a feature film. Historically, indigenoupeoples, including the Inuit, have had to fight against colonizerfor the right to tell their stories and engage in their culturaltraditions. By using the Inuktitut language and indigenousactors, technicians, and crewmembers in the telling of thisstory, director Zacharias Kunuk is asserting his right to speakdirectly to his people and share the telling with the rest of theworld.

About the Writer

Zacharias Kunuk worked in a variety of creative trades,including soap carving, before coming to the production ofAtanarjuat. With the support of his community and theparticipation of some of his peers from the IBC, Kunuk has puthe Inuit storytelling tradition in a contemporary andrevolutionary space. Hopefully Atanarjuat will be the first in a

long line of stunning dramas directed by Kunuk.

Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner)Directed by Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)

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A still from the filmfrom one of theclimactic scenesfeaturing the FastRunner

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A still from the film ofone of the maincharacters
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Length 75 minutes

Directors & Producers MarionLipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt

Editors Rose Rosenblatt, JeremyStulberg, and Diego Siragna

Production Cine Qua Non, Inc.

Genre Documentary

Subtitles Available in English

Availability Available at some videorental stores, key clips available for freeviewing at www.itvs.org

Brief Synopsis

This film follows the shifting dreamsand hopes of three young adults livingin a small town in the heart of the PineRidge Reservation in South Dakota.This reservation has been the site ofmany tragic events of colonial violence inthe United States, including theWounded Knee Massacre, the WoundedKnee Incident, and the murder ofMi'qmak activist and member of theAmerican Indian Movement, Anna MaeAquash. South Dakota recently passed alaw criminalizing abortion and thecommunity at Pine Ridge once againbecame a focus of media attention whentribal President Cecelia Fire Thunderchallenged the law with a threat to buildan abortion clinic on the reservation.Sunny Clifford, her sister Serena, andtheir friend Brandon Ferguson, aredrawn into the political storm andconversations about tribal autonomy,reproductive rights, and self-

determination.


Nation SovereigntyIn the words of renouned AbenakiMohawk midwife, Katsi Cook, thewomans body is the first environment. Awomans freedom to control and care forher own body is closely linked to the

inherent right of a Nation to enact its fullsovereignty. The dedication of womenwarriors like Cecilia Fire Thunder,profiled in this film, reminds us of the

importance of securing womens rights inthe broader struggle for decolonization.For more information about the linkbetween womens rights and nationalsovereignty, look for Katsi Cooks writingsonline and discuss with your class thework of organizations such as the NativeYouth Sexual Health Network(www.nativeyouthsexualhealth.com).

About the Filmmakers

Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt

have made a number of films together,this being their latest. In a recentinterview the pair did with PBS, Rosespoke to the experience of navigatingtheir relationship, as white settlers, withNative people from the community ofPine Ridge. We have screened in manycommunities across the country as well asin festivals, both native and mainstream,and the response has beenoverwhelmingly positive. Weve beenespecially delighted that when we play for

Native audiences they get all the smalljokes and nuances, and have heard, againand again, that we got it right.

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Young LakotaDirected by Marion Lipschutz & Rose Rosenblatt
http://www.itvs.org/http://www.nativeyouthsexualhealth.com/http://www.nativeyouthsexualhealth.com/http://www.itvs.org/http://www.itvs.org/

Top 10 Native Films for High School Students

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