It was a pleasure to curate this programme of Indigenous-made NFB films, with support from the REEL CANADA team, in honour of the ninth annual National Canadian Film Day (NCFD). This year, NCFD is spotlighting films by First Nation, Inuit and Métis filmmakers from Canada. This curated programme includes several NFB titles that you will also find on REEL CANADA’S official 2022 NCFD spotlight list, along with a selection of other NFB films produced between 1968 and 1998, all of which hold historical, artistic and cultural significance in the canon of Indigenous cinema in Canada. These works and the filmmakers behind them forged a path for today's generation of Indigenous filmmakers. Indigenous filmmaking in Canada began at the NFB in 1968 with the formation of the “Indian Film Crew” and the release of Willie Dunn’s Ballad of Crowfoot – often referred to as Canada’s first music video. There are so many great titles to discover here. A personal favourite is the inimitable Clint Alberta’s Deep Inside Clint Star – an unforgettable meditation on sex, life, love, abuse and colonial oppression. These titles also demonstrate the great importance of narrative sovereignty for Indigenous media artists. When Indigenous stories are told by Indigenous filmmakers, the result is authentic, self-determined cultural expression and resonant stories that captivate diverse audiences. Enjoy!
It was a pleasure to curate this programme of Indigenous-made NFB films, with support from the REEL CANADA team, in honour of the ninth annual National Canadian Film Day (NCFD). This year, NCFD is spotlighting films by First Nation, Inuit and Métis filmmakers from Canada. This curated programme includes several NFB titles that you will also find on REEL CANADA’S official 2022 NCFD spotlight list, along with a selection of other NFB films produced between 1968 and 1998, all of which hold historical, artistic and cultural significance in the canon of Indigenous cinema in Canada. These works and the filmmakers behind them forged a path for today's generation of Indigenous filmmakers. Indigenous filmmaking in Canada began at the NFB in 1968 with the formation of the “Indian Film Crew” and the release of Willie Dunn’s Ballad of Crowfoot – often referred to as Canada’s first music video. There are so many great titles to discover here. A personal favourite is the inimitable Clint Alberta’s Deep Inside Clint Star – an unforgettable meditation on sex, life, love, abuse and colonial oppression. These titles also demonstrate the great importance of narrative sovereignty for Indigenous media artists. When Indigenous stories are told by Indigenous filmmakers, the result is authentic, self-determined cultural expression and resonant stories that captivate diverse audiences. Enjoy!
À la fois cinéaste et vidéaste primée, écrivaine et travailleuse culturelle, Ariel Smith, d’origines nēhiyaw et juive, crée des œuvres d’art médiatique à titre indépendant depuis 2001. Une grande partie de son travail a été présentée dans des festivals et des galeries au Canada et à l’étranger. Parallèlement à sa propre pratique artistique, Ariel a exercé diverses fonctions : directrice technique du centre d’art médiatique SAW Video à Ottawa, directrice de la National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition, directrice générale de l’imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, et programmatrice pour plusieurs festivals et organisations artistiques. Ariel est actuellement directrice artistique et directrice générale de Native Women in the Arts, et directrice du programme de cinéma autochtone de REEL CANADA.