The Cinematheque

Norway House Cree Nation, 450 km north of Winnipeg, is one of Manitoba’s largest First Nations communities and among the most innovative. With a focus on self-determination and sustainability, it is home to a remarkable education centre and a range of community-managed industries, but the legacy of colonial policies and residential schools and the crisis around murdered and missing women remain deeply felt. With her new film, distinguished documentarian Alanis Obomsawin show us what action-driven decolonization actually looks like. For nearly five decades, she has given voice to Indigenous peoples and shown Canadians portions of their ongoing history often forgotten, ignored, or silenced. But Obomsawin also provides a beacon for the future. Successful stories of Indigenous self-determination have never been more important. Norway House offers one potential pathway forward, a model of Indigenous sovereignty alongside Canada. —Jesse Wente, TIFF