Kanehsatake

January 12, 2010 9:41 PM

Alanis Obomsawin is a Canadian filmmaker and Officer of the Order of Canada, perhaps best known for her 1993 film Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. During the Oka Crisis, Obomsawin spent 78 days and nights filming the armed stand-off between the Mohawks, the Quebec police and the Canadian army. Previously.
posted by acro (5 comments total)

Both Richard Nicholas, who stood atop the overturned car, and Tom Hanson, the Canadian Press photographer who took his picture, died on the same day in March 10, 2009, in separate incidents. Both were 41 years of age.
posted by mek at 3:12 AM on January 13, 2010

My major is Canadian Studies, and we have watched Kahnesatake at least once a year since first year. It is a remarkably affecting and powerful documentary; when I saw it for the first time I was disturbed by its depictions of the police, the RCMP, the local government, so many things. Actually, I wasn't so much disturbed by the depiction, I was disturbed that Obomsawin had managed to capture this all on film and that this was how people in my country acted! It was an eye-opener for me.
posted by hepta at 6:58 AM on January 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Kanehsastake: 270 Years of Resistance should be required viewing for Canadians. Apparently, it took them forever to show this on CBC despite its importance in overturning the dominant media narrative, and when they did, they aired it with a discussion component because it was too "biased" or something. She came to a Canadian cinema class I TAed once; she is an impressive lady.

Incident at Restigouche (also by Obomsawin) is also pretty stirring.
posted by SoftRain at 10:25 PM on January 13, 2010

I was in Grade 8 when this happened...time to re-visit it with adult eyes. Thanks for posting.
posted by Calzephyr at 3:50 PM on January 14, 2010

Umm, Netflix? Thanks for nothin'
posted by stevil at 9:25 AM on January 16, 2010