Seymour Polatkin (portrayed by Evan Adams)
is a famed, admired poet, but not be a prophet among
his own people. His success and lifestyle - Seymour
is gay - make him suspect in the eyes of his best friend
Aristotle Joseph who still lives on the reserve. Business
of Fancy Dancing, a feature film written and directed
by Sherman Alexie, focuses uneasy existence of many
First Nations youth. Seymour has pulled ahead of the
pack and overcome the statistics of despair too often
found in Amerindian communities (record dropout rates,
illiteracy, unemployment, etc.) only to become a pariah
hero, at once admired and suspected of contempt for
his roots.
Justin, the young hero of Moccasin Flats,
directed by Randy Redroad, believes he can escape from
the Regina ghetto by winning a scholarship to study
in Vancouver. But he will also have to learn alongside
a reality that raises its head despite all his efforts.
Produced by the dynamic Big Soul production company,
as part of a film professions teaching program, this
video has proven so attractive that it will be the basis
of a new TV drama series to air on APTN. Filmgoers will
recall that Randy Redroad directed Doe Boy, the feature
film that took the Teuikan grand prize at First Peoples'
Festival 2002). Landon Montour from Kahnawake (whose
video will also be featured at First Peoples' Festival
2003) co-stars as Jonathan. This story reminds us that
hope is close at hand and a new guard is emerging, determined
to overcome obstacles and succeed.
But the best of
lessons don't always have a happy end
American Indian Movement activist Annie May Aquash
was found dead in the desert with her hands cut off
so her body couldn't be identified. Many years afterwards,
Catherine Martin looks back at the fate of her Mi'gmaq
compatriot. Martin's documentary Spirit of Annie May
takes an unflinching look at a tumultuous period and
questions not only the FBI's political subterfuge but
also the machismo found in activist groups.
Fighting to Survive
Activist film continues to document the struggles
for First Peoples' rights that haven't been fully secured
anywhere on our planet.
Alanis Obomsawin asks the Mi'gmaq community
in Burnt Church the question Is the Crown at War with
us? at the height of the lobster war.
Never-ending commitment
First peoples' never-ending resistance
and patience, the effort to survive and regain lost
ground is a virtue passed on from generation to generation.
The elders' example remains a source of inspiration
in life as in film.
Rebirth of Nations
In Je suis Tu es l'invention des Jivaros,
a production in the tradition of the top-flight productions
created for the ARTE network, the director starts out
by questioning an invented tradition and takes the path
to discovery of a people's current reality. Yves de
Peretti has blazed an original trail based on a very
personal obsession. This journey took him far from his
home base to encounter an indigenous American culture.
The Australian film Explorations is a series of fictional
short subjects filmed by young Aboriginal filmmakers
with a full array of resources at their disposal. Its
opening slot at First Peoples' Festival 2003 did not
come by chance. New perspectives open up as imaginative
worldviews long relegated to the sidelines of cultural
production take front and centre. Providing First Peoples
youth the means to affirm their original outlook is
now an imperative and should be given the energy and
the resources this task warrants - here and now
Price, schedule and program available at the festival
site
June 12-22
Merata Mia's film catalogue can read like a
tour along the beaches of Aoteora (New Zealand) where the
ocean comes to nourish the daydreams of a solitary wayfarer
contemplating pebbles and seashells, fragments of civilisations
cast adrift, seaweed and oil slicks, pensive drowning victims
and multicoloured debris. Beachcombers can find heroic contemporary
struggles against racism and apartheid with the sound of boots
and cries of hope (Patu), rebuilding the legendary Maori boats
that made it possible to colonise the Pacific islands (Mana
Waka); ancient Easter Island ceremonies (Te Pito o Te Henua
Rapanui); Maori drum (Te Pahu). And the reggae sounds of the
Rastifarians (Dread), jazz and the existential questions of
modern man in an artist's body of work (Hotere). In short,
a universe smashed and reassembled in a maritime mosaic. A
vast panorama that could hold the polyphony of worlds and
seas in a great conch shell.
Nanook of the North
At the Cinémathèque québécoise,
salle Claude-Jutra,
June 11th at 8:30 p.m
A classic can only become a classic if it still
has meaning long after its creation. What more can be said
about Robert Flaherty's masterpiece, Nanook of the North?
This film's powerful imagery continues to cast its spell.
The astounding story behind its filming, and the extraordinary
efforts needed to complete this work, have made Nanook a major
turning point in the history of cinema.
The spellbinding sounds of throat singers Sylvia
Cloutier and June Shappa, seeming to emanate from within,
act as a counterpoint to piano improvisations. Through her
training in theatre and dance, Sylvia Cloutier has developed
a creative spirit of openness and a listening ability to develop
a stunning universe in sound. She and her colleague have mastered
the astonishing art of throat singing. They pass it along
as they have received it, with respect and dignity. By combining
this art form with Thibaudeau's music and Flaherty's breathtaking
imagery, they enable viewers to experience the excitement
of the hunt, the exhaustion of a long journey or rest after
a hard day's work almost from within.
Adresses
Montreal's First Peoples' Festival 2003
Émilie-Gamelin park, corner
of Sainte-Catherine Street and Berri Street
NFB Cinema, 1564, Saint-Denis Street
Cinémathèque québécoise,
335, de Maisonneuve blvd East
Kateri Hall, Kahnawake
Usine C, 1345, Lalonde Street
Bibliothèque nationale, Saint-Sulpice
building, 1700, Saint-Denis Street
