Students in Dr. Kristin Dowell‘s Global Indigenous Cinema seminar will host a screening of the film Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993) in honor of Native American Heritage Month on Thursday November 14th from 5-8 PM in WJB G40. The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be provided.
In July 1990, a dispute over a proposed golf course to be built on Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) lands in Oka, Quebec, set the stage for a historic confrontation that would grab international headlines and sear itself into the Canadian consciousness. Director Alanis Obomsawin—at times with a small crew, at times alone—spent 78 days behind Kanien’kéhaka lines filming the armed standoff between protestors, the Quebec police and the Canadian army. Released in 1993, this landmark documentary has been seen around the world, winning over eighteen international awards and making history at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it became the first documentary ever to win the Best Canadian Feature award. Jesse Wente, former Director of Canada’s Indigenous Screen Office, has called it a “watershed film in the history of First Peoples cinema.” (NFB-Canada).
Content warning: This work contains scenes of violence and may not be suitable for young audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
Directed by Alanis Obomsawin
Produced by Wolf Koenig, Alanis Obomsawin
Across the razor wire
Photo credit: Shaney Komulainen
©1990 Shaney Komulainen, All rights reserved.