Alanis Obomsawin

Obomsawin, often called “the First Lady of First Nations Filmmaking,” is one of Canada’s most distinguished filmmakers. Born into the Abenaki Nation, she has dedicated her career at the National Film Board to recounting Canada’s Aboriginal history. Her Oka Quartet, which includes the landmark film Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993), documents the 1990 conflict between the Canadian Army and the Mohawk community of Kanehsatake. The Museum of Modern Art, which mounted a 2008 retrospective of Obomsawin’s work, describes these films as “arguably the most important narrative and historical archive of Native-settler relations in existence.”

Selected Filmography

Gene Boy Came Home (2007)

Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises (2006)

Is the Crown at war with us? (2002)
Nominated for a Genie Award

Rocks at Whiskey Trench (2000)
Nominated for a Genie Award

Spudwrench (1997)

My Name is Kahentiiosta (1995)

Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993)
Toronto International Film Festival — Best Canadian Feature Film
Vancouver International Film Festival — Best Documentary Feature

Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child (1986)

Incident at Restigouche (1984)

Mother of Many Children (1979)

Amisk (1977)

Christmas at Moose Factory (1971)

Other Awards and Honours

International Documentary Association — Pioneer Award
Officer of the Order of Canada, 2001
Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts (2001)
Governor General's Performing Arts Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award (2008)