The Cinematheque

“A powerful celebration of song and spirit … Simultaneously a piece of BC First Nations history, a call for revolution and resolve, and a portrait of a people who have retained their power and identity through community and activism.”

Dorothy Woodend, DOXA

The Road Forward is a genre-blending musical documentary by award-winning Métis and Dene writer, director, playwright, and producer Marie Clements. Clements breaks boundaries by combining interviews with blues, rock, and traditional musical sequences that raise awareness about Indigenous history and experiences. Explore the roots of the Native Brotherhood and Native Sisterhood of British Columbia and the creation of the Native Voice newspaper, which united First Nations peoples across British Columbia and beyond through its Indigenous perspective. Journey from the 1930s movement of Indigenous rights to today’s land and rights defenders as Clements calls out oppressions of the past and present to posit a future that values Indigenous voices.

After the screening, there will be a Q&A and discussion with Lyana Patrick, series advisor and former reporter for the Native Voice.