Alanis Obomsawin Movies

The struggle of a Cree boy who is caught between the traditions of his people and the settlers' world.

Wild rice is an important source of food and revenue for many Anishinaabe people, who sometimes travel hundreds of kilometres to harvest the grain in...

The new film from celebrated documentarian Alanis Obomsawin (Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance) chronicles the events following the filing of a...

François Néwashish was the only one in his family from the Atikamekw community of Manawan not to go to residential school. He...

A young Native girl, rejected by her classmates, is comforted and counselled by the animals of the forest.

Close-up photographs of baskets, tools and utensils used in the past and still used today by the L'ilawat of Canada. Printed notes describe the use...

The principal and his wife at the Indian Affairs school in Waskaganish, James Bay, have initiated a curriculum development project with input from...

Expert fishers for their entire lives, Líl̓wat Elders Cora and Daniel Wells share their deep knowledge of salmon fishing, cleaning and...

Elder Marie Leo recounts her experiences going through puberty. Growing up on the Líl̓wat Nation near Mount Currie, B.C., Marie details...

Alanis Obomsawin talks about how she got her start at the NFB and the overarching importance of sound/story in her work.

On a beautiful summer’s day in Nunavik, a family enjoys the pleasures of berry picking and fishing as the sound of two Elders throat-singing...

The farming practices of residents of the Líl̓wat Nation near Mount Currie, B.C., are presented in a series of snapshots that illustrate...

Utilizing engineering ingenuity that is centuries old, Atikamekw elders Agatha and Cézar Néwashish build a small-scale version of a...

Obomsawin narrates as children learn of the traditions and life of Gabriel, a Cree boy from Fort George, James Bay. The Northern Cree "Walking Out...

In a series of playful portraits, Líl̓wat children and youth go about their daily duties at the community’s summer camp outside...

This short documentary by Alanis Obomsawin takes us to Poundmaker's Lodge, a treatment centre in St. Albert, Alberta, that welcomes Native people...

Often feeling alone in her waking life, the young Alanis Obomsawin found friendship with the Green Horse, a benevolent being she visited regularly in...

Cree comedian Don Burnstick is a legend across Turtle Island. His trademark brand of comedy is deeply rooted in the First Nations experience. Like...

The remarkable construction of the venerable snowshoe is demonstrated from start to finish. Atikamekw Elders Mariane and Athanas Jacob take us into...