The People of the Kattawapiskak River

The people of the Attawapiskat First Nation, a Cree community in northern Ontario, were thrust into the national spotlight in 2012 when the impoverished living conditions on their reserve became an issue of national debate. With The People of the Kattawapiskak River, Alanis Obomsawin quietly attends as community members tell their own story, shedding light on a history of dispossession and official indifference. Winner of the 2013 Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary, the film is part of a cycle of films focused on children's welfare and rights.

Les membres de la Première Nation d'Attawapiskat, une communauté crie du nord de l'Ontario, ont été poussés sous les feux des projecteurs en 2012 lorsque les conditions de dénuement dans leur réserve sont devenues un sujet de débat national. Dans ce documentaire, Alanis Obomsawin capte discrètement les histoires de cette communauté, mettant en lumière un passé de dépossession et d'indifférence de la part des pouvoirs officiels. Gagnant du prix Donald-Brittain 2013 du meilleur documentaire social ou politique, Le peuple de la rivière Kattawapiskak fait partie d'un cycle de films réalisés sur le bien-être et les droits des enfants.

Arrested after the 78-day armed standoff during the 1990 Oka crisis, Kahentiiosta, a young Kahnawake Mohawk woman proud of her centuries-old heritage, is detained four days longer than the other women. Her crime? The prosecutor representing the Quebec government will not accept her Indigenous name. From the perspective of Kahentiiosta, we witness the arrest and detention of those who withdrew to the Treatment Centre after the Canadian Army advanced, and we learn why Kahentiiosta was prepared to die to protect the land and trees sacred to the Mohawk people of Kanehsatake.