Critical Writing Index

Festival Honours Native film maker: Kanehsatake documentary named best Canadian feature

by Christopher Harris

The Globe and Mail, Sept. 20 Spring, 1993

Quebec Native Filmmaker Alanis Obomsawim is the second woman and first native to win the Toronto-City Award for best Canadian feature for her film, Kanesatake: 270 years of resistance, a documentary in the Canadian Cinema-Verite tradition. Obomsawin's NFB film documents the 1990 Standoff between Mohawks and the military at Oka, from an Aboriginal perspective, and was chosen amongst other Canadian contenders, the likes of Francois Girard, Deny's Archand, David Wellington, and John Greyson. Kanehsatake saw Obomsawin and her crew spend 50 days bedhind the Oka barricades, and elicited from its Toronto audience a desire to see justice done to Canada's native people. The festival of Festivals is not technically competitive, but its numerous awards have been increasingly in focus.

ITEM 1993.128 – available for viewing in the Research Centre

Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited

Canehsatake: 270 Years of ResistanceAlanis Obomsawin

Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn GouldFrancois Girard

Love and Human RemainsDenys Arcand

I Love a Man in a UniformDavid Wellington

Zero PatienceJohn Greyson

An Angel at My TableJane Campion

SweetieJane Campion

Save My Lost Nigga' SoulClement Virgo

Me, Mom and MonaMina Shum

StrappedForest Whitaker

SutureScott Mcgehee

SutureDavid Siegel

Combination PlatterTony Chan

NakedMike Leigh

PianoJane Campion

Trois Couleurs BleuKrzysztof Kieslowski

The SnapperStephen Frears

A Bronx TaleRobert De Niro

M. ButterflyDavid Cronenberg

RudyDavid Anspaugh