Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
- Film
- Documentary
- A Celebration of Canada
In July 1990, a dispute over a proposed golf course to be built on Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) lands in Oka, Quebec, set the stage for a historic confrontation that would grab international headlines and sear itself into the Canadian consciousness.
Director Alanis Obomsawin—at times with a small crew, at times alone—spent 78 days behind Kanien’kéhaka lines filming the armed standoff between protestors, the Quebec police and the Canadian army. Released in 1993, this landmark documentary has been seen around the world, winning over a dozen international awards and making history at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it became the first documentary ever to win the Best Canadian Feature award.
Jesse Wente, Director of Canada’s Indigenous Screen Office, has called it a “watershed film in the history of First Peoples cinema.”
Supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI‘s Film Audience Network, awarding funding on behalf of Screen Scotland and the BFI National Lottery.
A Celebration of Canada
Exploring Canada‘s cinematic history spanning the past century, built by its rich culture and diverse heritage.
Canadian cinema is now more successful than ever, making it the perfect time to celebrate the successes of the country’s film industry and the impact it is having on cinema as a whole.
Woven around the works of influential Scottish-Canadian filmmaker Norman McLaren, the season will showcase a diverse representation of films: from the work of the elder statesmen of Canadian cinema, to those who broke new ground in the industry, First Nations Canadians and immigrants, who have been the backbone of the country throughout its history, and the next generation of filmmakers bringing the movement to theatres globally.
- Millie Reid, Season Programmer
