Alanis Obomsawin

Films directed by Alanis Obomsawin

• Christmas at Moose Factory (1971)
• History of Manawan: Part 1 (1972)
• History of Manawan: Part 2 (1972)
• Amisk (1977)
• Mother of Many Children (1977)  (also known as: "Mère de tant d'enfants")
• Canada Vignettes: Wild Rice Harvest Kenora (1979)  (also known as: "Canada vignettes : le riz sauvage")
• Canada Vignettes: June in Povungnituk - Quebec Arctic (1980)
• Incident at Restigouche (1984)  (also known as: "Les événements de Restigouche")
• Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child (1986)  (also known as: "Richard Cardinal : le cri d'un enfant métis")
• Poundmaker's Lodge: A Healing Place (1987)  (also known as: "La Maison Poundmaker : la voie de la guérison")
• No Address (1988)  (also known as: "Sans adresse")
• Le patro Le Prévost 80 ans après (1991)  (also known as: "Le Patro Le Prévost 80 Years Later")
• Walker (1991)
• Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993)  (also known as: "Kanehsatake, 270 ans de résistance")
• My Name Is Kahentiiosta (1995)  (also known as: "Je m'appelle Kahentiiosta")
• Spudwrench: Kahnawake Man (1997)  (also known as: "Spudwrench : l'homme de Kahnawake")
• Rocks at Whiskey Trench (2000)  (also known as: "Pluie de pierres à Whiskey Trench")
• Is the Crown at War with Us? (2002)  (also known as: "La Couronne cherche-t-elle à nous faire la guerre?")
• Our Nationhood (2003)  (also known as: "La survie de nos enfants")
• Sigwan (2005)
• Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant (2006)  (also known as: "Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises")
• Gene Boy Came Home (2007)  (also known as: "Gene Boy revient chez lui")
• Professor Norman Cornett: 'Since when do we divorce the right answer from an honest answer?' (2009)  (also known as: "Professeur Norman Cornett : 'Depuis quand ressent-on l'obligation de répondre correctement au lieu de répondre honnêtement?'")
• When All the Leaves Are Gone (2010)  (also known as: "Quand toutes les feuilles seront tombées")
• The People of the Kattawapiskak River (2012)  (also known as: "Le peuple de la rivière Kattawapiskak")
• Hi-Ho Mistahey! (2013)
• Children's Court Case (2014)
• Trick or Treaty? (2014)  (also known as: "Ruse ou traité?")
• We Can't Make the Same Mistake Twice (2016)  (also known as: "On ne peut pas faire deux fois la même erreur")
• Our People Will Be Healed (2017)  (also known as: "Le chemin de la guérison")
• Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger (2019)  (also known as: "Jordan River Anderson, le messager")
• Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair (2021)  (also known as: "Hommage au sénateur Murray Sinclair")

Quotes by Alanis Obomsawin

"Documentaries play a valuable role in truthful reconciliation, as a record of history, and of how lives go to a better place—a place of decolonization."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

"Documentary film is the one place that our people can speak for themselves. I feel that the documentaries that I've been working on have been very valuable for the people, for our people to look at ourselves, at the situations, really facing it, and through that being able to make changes that really count for the future of our children to come."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

"I always had problems because I was Indian and all that goes with that. All of a sudden there were many other reasons—because I was a woman, because I had a child, I wasn't married. I fitted all those things that [make] people feel you don't belong. I was surprised, because I was so used to being put down, because I am Indian and all that. But all of a sudden there were so many other things, it was like a discovery of how a lot of other people are put down just because they are women. And there weren't many women filmmakers—certainly not Indigenous women filmmakers. And when I came into the [National] Film Board, although I was invited there, it was also difficult because there were people who were called the experts on Indians, so they didn't like my presence there. So there were all those things to go through, and to continue working, and fight back and advance a bit more. If I didn't believe as much as I did in what I was doing, I would have never lasted."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

"I feel so passionately about these issues. So as long as I have my health, I'm going to be working. I just can't think about what people call retirement. I really have no time for that."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

"I went through a very, very difficult time at school. The stories we were being told about our people (were) horrifying. (The system) was really designed to get Canadians to hate First People, Métis people and Inuit people. It was very much built that way—telling us that our language was Satan's language and we were savages. It was really awful. As a matter of fact, it's the reason I'm in the business of making films and singing. Because of the horrible experience I had in school, this is how I started thinking I had to do something. I wanted the children to hear another story other than the ones they were being told."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

"Racism and prejudice exist there [at the National Film Board] like anywhere else. My history at the Board has not been easy. It's been a long walk."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

"So much history can be lost if no one tells the story—so that's what I do. I tell the stories. This is my way of fighting for social change."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

"When I was a young girl, my community didn't have electricity or running water, and we had an earth road. I don't say dirt road, that's an insult to my Mother—the Earth is not dirty, it gives you everything. We had oil lamps. At night, we were in the kitchen, the adults were fishing and hunting guides, and a lot of their stories were experiences in the bush. If you had four or five children listening, you have four or five sets of images in their minds. That's four or five films right there. For me the root of making films is always listening. The word is sacred. So I make many visits to people who I think I want to make a film about. I never come with the camera first. I listen. That develops a trust, and places you in such a beautiful place in the heart of a person, who then is not afraid."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

Quotes by Alanis Obomsawin [in French]

"Notre histoire doit être documentée et un des meilleurs moyens d'y arriver est via le film. Ne l'oublions pas, le film a cette faculté de bien voyager à travers le monde."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

"Nous étions la seule famille indienne [à Trois-Rivières]. Toute mon enfance, je me suis fait battre, insulter, cracher dessus. Après je n'ai eu qu'une envie : combattre l'injustice."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

Quotes about Alanis Obomsawin

"Alanis Obomsawin has had a long career as singer, writer, and storyteller, promoting the history and culture of her people. [...] After being seen in a television profile, Alanis, she was invited by the National Film Board to act as a consultant and has since divided her time between filmmaking and performing."
-- Jack C. Ellis, Betsy A. Mclane (source)

"[Alanis Obomsawin] appears in all of her films, seated on a picnic bench interviewing subjects, standing in a cluster of reporters, or barricaded behind the lines during a military battle. Her presence on the screen confirms her intimate connection to the subject matter, so while observational documentaries may labor to elide the filmmaker's presence, Obomsawin intentionally foregrounds it."
-- Jennifer L. Gauthier (source)

"Over the course of her remarkable career, [Alanis] Obomsawin—one of only three remaining staff documentary filmmakers at the NFB—has moved from the margins to the centre of institutional power in Canada. While her work is now officially embraced by the repressive state that she lambastes, Obomsawin has retained the instincts, sensibility and posture of the eternally alienated outsider."
-- Adrian Harewood (source)

"Her films have fundamentally altered the way in which the cause of First Peoples has been communicated to non-Native Canadians. She has been successful in altering common perceptions, both about the ability of Native communities to take charge of their destinies and about the urgency of institutional change."
-- Zuzana Pick (source)

"[Alanis Obomsawin's] work demystifies notions of disinterested observation in cinéma direct by inscribing her presence in the film, as narrator and subject. [...] Her work subverts the objectifying tendencies of the social documentary by revealing a heartfelt respect for the past and present of the people she has filmed."
-- Zuzana Pick (source)

"We were about to make a film on a remote Indian reserve [in 1967], and felt clueless about how to proceed. A friend of mine [...] had seen a documentary film on the CBC about Alanis. [...] A group of us met her and talked about her views on film. And that's when she said, 'Well, I've seen Film Board films dealing with Aboriginal people, and we never hear the people speak.'"
-- Bob Verrall (source)

"One aspect of [Alanis] Obomsawin's cinema that quickly distinguishes it from her contemporaries' is its oddly pared-down form. Her work displays little in the way of stylistic flourish or excess, and usually features explanatory voice-overs that might remind some of dull, pedagogical (NFB?) documentaries of the 1950s. However, this apparently simple aesthetic is peppered with a pronounced subjectivity. Furthermore, Obomsawin's work displays a tendency towards lyricism and massive narrative digressions, both techniques that shatter conventions of documentary realism."
-- Jerry White (source)

Quotes about Alanis Obomsawin [in French]

"Nous devions tourner un film sur une réserve autochotone éloignée [en 1967], et nous ne savions pas par où commencer. Un de mes amis [...] avait vu un documentaire à Radio-Canada sur Mme Obomsawin. [...] Nous l'avons recontrée et nous avons parlé de son point de vue sur les films. Et alors elle a dit 'Vous savez, j'ai vu plein de documentaires de l'ONF sur les peuples autochtones, et ils n'ont jamais la parole dans vos films.'"
-- Bob Verrall (source)

For QUOTES about a specific film by Alanis Obomsawin, please see:   Christmas at Moose Factory    Amisk    Mother of Many Children    Incident at Restigouche    Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child    No Address    Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance    My Name Is Kahentiiosta    Spudwrench: Kahnawake Man    Rocks at Whiskey Trench    Is the Crown at War with Us?    Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant    The People of the Kattawapiskak River    Trick or Treaty?    We Can't Make the Same Mistake Twice    Our People Will Be Healed    Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger    Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair   

Notes about Alanis Obomsawin

• Member of the Abenaki Nation.
• The first Canadian Indigenous woman film director to 'solo direct' a film.
• Born in Lebanon, New Hampshire, U.S.
• Grew up on the Odanak Reserve (near Sorel, Quebec), where she lived with her aunt.
• Her father worked as a hunting and fishing guide.
• At age 9, moved with her parents to Trois Rivières, where she was the only Indigenous child in her school.
• Moved to Montreal in the late 1950s.
• Her first language was Western Abenaki. She learned French at school in Trois-Rivières and learned English in Florida, where she spent two years.
• Was awarded the Order of Canada in 1983.
• In 2001 was awarded the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.
• In 2004 received the Pioneer Award from the International Documentary Association.
• Received the Clyde Gilmour Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association in 2016.
• Received the Prix Albert-Tessier in 2016.

Bibliography for Alanis Obomsawin

Section 1: Publications by Alanis Obomsawin

• Obomsawin, Alanis et al. 270 Years of Resistance: Essays, Articles and Documentation = 270 ans de résistance : essais, textes et documentation. Montréal: National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada, 2008. [English / French]

Section 2: Publications about Alanis Obomsawin

Books

• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006.

Book Chapters

• Gauthier, Jennifer L. "Dismantling the Master's House: The Feminist Fourth Cinema Documentaries of Alanis Obomsawin and Loretta Todd." ["This article has been reprinted with the permission of Post Script: Essays in Film and the Humanities [...] 29.3 (Summer 2010)."] In Native Americans on Film: Conversations, Teaching, and Theory, edited by Eric L. Buffalohead and M. Elise Marubbio, 89-115. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, 2013.
• Pick, Zuzana. "Storytelling and Resistance: The Documentary Practice of Alanis Obomsawin." In Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women's Cinema, edited by Kay Armatage, Kass Banning, Brenda Longfellow, and Janine Marchessault, 76-93. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999.
• White, Jerry. "Alanis Obomsawin, Documentary Form and the Canadian Nation(s)." ["Originally appeared in CineAction! 49 (1999)."] In North of Everything: English-Canadian Cinema Since 1980, edited by William Beard and Jerry White, 364-375. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2002.

Brief Sections of Books

• Druick, Zoë. Projecting Canada: Government Policy and Documentary Film at the National Film Board of Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2007. (pp. 172-174)
• Monk, Katherine. Weird Sex and Snowshoes: And Other Canadian Film Phenomena. Vancouver: Raincoast Books, 2001. (pp. 60-62)
• Varga, Darrell. "History and Storytelling: The Documentary Context of Canadian Cinema." In Screening Canadians: Cross-cultural Perspectives on Canadian Film, edited by Wolfram R. Keller and Gene Walz. Marburg, Germany: Universitätsbibliothek Marburg, 2008. (pp. 59-61)

Journal Articles

• Armatage, Kay. "Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker." Review of Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker, by Randolph Lewis. Atlantis 32, no. 2 (2008): 157-158.
• Gauthier, Jennifer L. "Dismantling the Master's House: The Feminist Fourth Cinema Documentaries of Alanis Obomsawin and Loretta Todd." Post Script 29, no. 3 (2010): 27.
• Gramatikopoulos, Pinelopi. "'Hitting Inside': An Interview with Alanis Obomsawin." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Fireweed, no. 39/40 (Summer 1993): 88-103.
• Harrison, Julia D. "Oka: Behind the Barricades." American Anthropologist 102, no. 1 (March 2000): 159-160.
• Lim, Audrea. "Borderlands and Paradises: Suburbs, Cities and Alanis Obomsawin." Antigonish Review, no. 162 (2010): 91-97.
• Mithlo, Nancy Marie. "Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker." Review of Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker, by Randolph Lewis. American Anthropologist 109, no. 4 (2007): 749-750.
• Salée, Daniel. "Randolph Lewis, Alanis Obomsawin : The Vision of a Native Filmmaker." Review of Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker, by Randolph Lewis. Nouvelles Vues, no. 7 (Spring-Summer 2007). [in French]
• White, Jerry. "Alanis Obomsawin, Documentary Form and the Canadian Nation(s)." CineAction, no. 49 (1999): 26-36.
• Wong, Tia. "Eyeing Resistance: Alanis Obomsawin's Third Cinema/Gaze/World." Cinephile: The University of British Columbia's Film Journal 5, no. 1 (2009): 51-55.

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Alioff, Maurie, and S. Schouten Levine "The long walk of Alanis Obomsawin." Cinema Canada, June 1987.
• Augustine, Christine. "Filming Aboriginal voices: An interview with Alanis Obomsawin." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Fred, September 2003.
• Bear, Jeff. "Native film-maker featured at Edmonton festival." AMMSA, February 15, 1985.
• Bergeron, Ulysse. "Nouvelle présidence de Présence autochtone : Haro sur la discrimination; Alanis Obomsawin inscrit son action dans l'héritage laissée par Myra Cree." Le Devoir, June 3, 2006. [in French]
• Bournival, Marie-Thérèse. "Étrange Alanis." Gazette des femmes, June-August 1988. [in French]
• Bouzet, Ange-Dominique. "La cause indienne en docs." Libération, March 16, 2005. [in French]
• Brownstein, Bill. "No stopping legendary documentarian." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Montreal Gazette, November 11, 2016.
• Caron-Ottavi, Apolline. "De la revendication à la libre expression : Rencontre entre Alanis Obomsawin et Caroline Monnet." 24 Images, no. 191, June 2019. [in French]
• Chaput, Luc. "Alanis Obomsawin : Pour la suite d'un monde autochtone." Séquences, September-October 2008. [in French]
• Cinema Canada. "Obomsawin builds bridge." Cinema Canada, December 1988.
• Cizek, Katarina. "Alanis Obomsawin: Dream-Magic / Alanis Obomsawin : la magie du rêve." Horizon 0: Digital Art + Culture in Canada / Art + culture numériques au Canada, no. 9, June-July 2003.
• Cote, Abby. "Filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin: 25 Years in the making." Kinesis, December-January 2000.
• Cox, Beverly, and Martin Jacobs. "Breakfast in Montreal's 'Chez Alanis'." Native Peoples, May-June 2008.
• Dolbec, Michel. "Alanis Obomsawin est saluée au Festival des films de femmes." Le Devoir, March 17, 2005. [in French]
• Doxtater, Mike. "Alanis Obomsawin." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Native People, February 2, 1979.
• Dudemaine, André. "La voix de tous les miens." 24 Images, June-July 2008. [in French]
• Dunn, Margo. "The one who brings pleasure." Makara, April-May 1976.
• Ellis, Erin. "Suicides trouble film-maker." AMMSA, October 12, 1984.
• Gallagher-Hayashi, Diane. "Obomsawin, Alanis." Resource Links, vol. 15, no. 3, 2010.
• Harewood, Adrian. "Alanis Obomsawin: A portrait of a First Nations filmmaker." Take One (Toronto), June-September 2003.
• Indian Country Today. "imagineNATIVE film festival opens with tribute to Alanis Obomsawin: The opening night of the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival showcased the work of documentarian Alanis Obomsawin." Indian Country Today, October 19, 2012.
• Joanisse, Marc André. "Alanis Obomsawin : Une vie à défendre les siens." Le Droit (Ottawa), March 14, 2009. [in French]
• Lalonde, Catherine. "La murale en hommage à Alanis Obomsawin sera autochtone." Le Devoir, August 14, 2018. [in French]
• Liebman, Roy. "Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker." Review of Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker, by Randolph Lewis. Library Journal, April 15, 2006.
• Logan, Marty. "Festival honors documentary makers." Windspeaker, July 2003.
• Maxwell-Long, T. "Alanis Obomsawin." Review of Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker, by Randolph Lewis. Choice, December 2006.
• McDonald, Christine. "An interview with Indigenous filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Multicultural Review, Summer 2004.
• McLaren, Leah. "In person: Canada's first lady of Native film: Alanis Obomsawin's acclaimed work gets retrospective treatment at festival." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Globe and Mail, June 16, 1999.
• Mello, Marie-Hélène. "La crise d'Oka vue par les Mohawks." Ciné-Bulles, Autumn 2008. [in French]
• Nicoud, Anabelle. "La grande dame de l'ONF." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. La Presse, May 24, 2008. [in French]
• O'Farrell, Elaine. "Obomsawin: Film and song bridge cultures." Windspeaker, March 24, 1989.
• Platiel, Rudy. "Alanis Obomsawin uses film to speak out against injustice and to foster understanding of native life." Globe and Mail, August 10, 1990.
• Renaud, Philippe. "Alanis Obomsawin ou la tristesse d'être toujours pertinente." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Le Devoir, September 27, 2018. [in French]
• Saturday Night. "The eyewitness: Alanis Obomsawin: Filmmaker, Oka chronicler, golf course accomodationist." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Saturday Night, July 29, 2000.
• Schneller, Johanna. "Four Indigenous filmmakers redefine Canadian film." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin, Danis Goulet, Bretten Hannam, Rhayne Vermette. Globe and Mail, September 9, 2021.
• Stewart, Dorothy. "'Much more profound than hope': Legendary Abenaki filmmaker sees positive change; APTN adds 11 Alanis Obomsawin films to its on-demand streaming service." CBC, December 16, 2021.
• Taillon, Joan. "Order of Canada promotion for Alanis Obomsawin." Windspeaker, February 2002.
• Tremblay, Odile. "Alanis Obomsawin, de l'autre côté des barricades, à jamais." Le Devoir, June 18, 2008. [in French]
• Tremblay, Odile. "Alanis Obomsawin, à hauteur de murale." Le Devoir, November 8, 2018. [in French]
• Tremblay, Odile. "Alanis Obomsawin : La douleur d'être Améridienne; La cinéaste abénaquise honorée au festival 'Terres en vue'." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Le Devoir, April 20, 1995. [in French]
• Wheeler, Brad. "Alanis Obomsawin on the resurgence of Indigenous music and living in a 'different time' for Canada." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Globe and Mail, July 20, 2018.

Documentaries

• Dream Magic. Directed by Katerina Cizek. National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada, 2008.
• Our Dear Sisters. Directed by Kathleen Shannon. National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada, 1975.
• Alanis Obomsawin Virtual Classroom. Directed by Dan Thornhill. National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada, 2016 .

Web Sites

• Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. "Femmes à l'honneur : leurs réalisations : les femmes dans le cinéma canadien : Alanis Obomsawin." Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/femmes/030001-1259-f.html. [in French]
• Glassman, Marc. "Canadian Film Encyclopedia: Alanis Obomsawin." Film Reference Library (Toronto International Film Festival Group). http://www.filmreferencelibrary.ca/index.asp?layid=46&csid1=53&navid=88&fid3=556.
• "IMDb: Alanis Obomsawin." Internet Movie Database, Inc. http://imdb.com/name/nm0643446/.
• Library and Archives Canada. "Celebrating Women's Achievements: Canadian Women in Film: Alanis Obomsawin." Library and Archives Canada. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/femmes/030001-1259-e.html.
• Loft, Steve. "Souveraineté, subjectivité et action sociale : les films d'Alanis Obomsawin." Conseil des Arts du Canada. http://www.canadacouncil.ca/prix/ggavam/xh127240204281875000.htm?subsiteurl=%2fcanadacouncil%2farchives%2fprix%2fggvma%2f2001%2f2001-06-f.asp. [in French]
• Loft, Steve. "Sovereignty, Subjectivity and Social Action: The Films of Alanis Obomsawin." Canada Council for the Arts. http://www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes/ggavma/xh127240204281875000.htm?subsiteurl=%2Fcanadacouncil%2Farchives%2Fprizes%2Fggvma%2F2001%2F2001-06-e.asp.
• "National Aboriginal Achievement Awards: Alanis Obomsawin." Government of Canada. http://www.naaf.ca/html/a_obomsawin_e.html.
• National Film Board of Canada. "CitizenShift: Rebels with a Cause: Alanis Obomsawin." National Film Board of Canada. http://citizen.nfb.ca/onf/info?did=561.
• National Film Board of Canada. "NFB -- Portraits: Alanis Obomsawin." National Film Board of Canada. http://www.nfb.ca/portraits/alanis_obomsawin/en/.
• Office national du film du Canada. "ONF -- Portraits : Alanis Obomsawin." Office national du film du Canada. http://www.onf.ca/portraits/alanis_obomsawin/fr/. [in French]
• Pick, Zuzana M. "The Canadian Encyclopedia: Obomsawin, Alanis." Historica Foundation of Canada. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0005866.
• Pick, Zuzana M. "L'Encyclopédie canadienne : Obomsawin, Alanis." Fondation Historica du Canada. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=F1ARTF0005866. [in French]
• "Prix nationaux d'excellence décernés aux autochtones : Alanis Obomsawin." Government of Canada. http://www.naaf.ca/html/a_obomsawin_f.html. [in French]
• Robertson, Joanne. "Une histoire du cinéma : Alanis Obomsawin." Office national du film du Canada. https://www.onf.ca/film/histoire_du_cinema_alanis_obomsawin/. [in French]
• Robertson, Joanne. "Making Movie History: Alanis Obomsawin ." National Film Board of Canada. https://www.nfb.ca/film/making_movie_history_alanis_obomsawin/.
• "Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia: Alanis Obomsawin." Wikimedia Foundation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alanis_Obomsawin.
• "Women Make Movies: Alanis Obomsawin." Women Make Movies. http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/makers/fm277.shtml.

Section 3: Publications about the Films of Alanis Obomsawin

Christmas at Moose Factory (1971)

Brief Sections of Books

• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 36-39)

Amisk (1977)

Brief Sections of Books

• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 45-48)

Mother of Many Children (1977)  (also known as: "Mère de tant d'enfants")

Brief Sections of Books

• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 40-45)

Incident at Restigouche (1984)  (also known as: "Les événements de Restigouche")

Brief Sections of Books

• Gittings, Christopher E. Canadian National Cinema: Ideology, Difference and Representation. London: Routledge, 2002. (pp. 217-218)
• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 48-53)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Scott, Jay. "NFB documentary redresses imbalance: Restigouche remembered." Review of Incident at Restigouche. Globe and Mail, September 11, 1984.

Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child (1986)  (also known as: "Richard Cardinal : le cri d'un enfant métis")

Brief Sections of Books

• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 53-55)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Nelson, Joyce. "Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child." Review of Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child. Cinema Canada, December 1986.

Poundmaker's Lodge: A Healing Place (1987)  (also known as: "La Maison Poundmaker : la voie de la guérison")

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Marshy, Leila. "Poundmaker's Lodge: A Healing Place." Review of Poundmaker's Lodge: A Healing Place. Cinema Canada, March 1988.

No Address (1988)  (also known as: "Sans adresse")

Brief Sections of Books

• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 56-58)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Guttman, Naomi. "No Address." Review of No Address. Cinema Canada, October 1989.

Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993)  (also known as: "Kanehsatake, 270 ans de résistance")

Books

• Obomsawin, Alanis et al. 270 Years of Resistance: Essays, Articles and Documentation = 270 ans de résistance : essais, textes et documentation. Montréal: National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada, 2008. [English / French]

Book Chapters

• Cornellier, Bruno. "Oka dans la représentation : la barricade, le souverain et la cartographie du refus." In La « chose indienne » : cinéma et politiques de la représentation autochtone au Québec et au Canada, 193-255. Montréal: Nota bene, 2015. [in French]
• Cornellier, Bruno. "«This is a New Country» : le fardeau d'éducation documentaire et les politiques de la rencontre interculturelle à l'ONF." In La « chose indienne » : cinéma et politiques de la représentation autochtone au Québec et au Canada, 133-191. Montréal: Nota bene, 2015. [in French]
• McIlroy, Brian. "Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance." In The Cinema of Canada, edited by Jerry White, 172-181. London: Wallflower, 2006.
• Miron, Isabelle. "Échange avec Alanis Obomsawin et André Dudemaine suite à la projection du film Kanehsatake 250 ans de résistance." In Paroles et images amérindiennes du Québec, edited by Isabelle Miron and Anna Paola Mossetto, 155-161. Bologna: Pendragon, 2005. [in French]
• Pick, Zuzana M. "'This Land Is Ours'—Storytelling and History in Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance." In Candid Eyes: Essays on Canadian Documentaries, edited by Jim Leach and Jeannette Sloniowski, 181-196. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003.
• Simons, Tony. "Alanis Obomsawin: Kanehsatake — 270 ans de résistance." In Where Are the Voices Coming From?: Canadian Culture and the Legacies of History, edited by Coral Ann Howells, 205-216. Cross/Cultures 73. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2004.

Brief Sections of Books

• Adah, Anthony. "On the Field of Battle: First Nations Women Documentary Filmmakers." In The Gendered Screen: Canadian Women Filmmakers, edited by Brenda Austin-Smith and George Melnyk. Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2010. (pp. 166-172)
• Gittings, Christopher E. Canadian National Cinema: Ideology, Difference and Representation. London: Routledge, 2002. (pp. 218-225)
• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 88-110)
• Melnyk, George. One Hundred Years of Canadian Cinema. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004. (pp. 181-182)
• Monk, Katherine. Weird Sex and Snowshoes: And Other Canadian Film Phenomena. Vancouver: Raincoast Books, 2001. (p. 306)

Journal Articles

• Cornellier, Bruno. "The Thing about Obomsawin's Indianness: Indigenous Reality and the Burden of Education at the National Film Board of Canada." Canadian Journal of Film Studies / Revue canadienne d'études cinématographiques 21, no. 2 (2012): 2-26.
• Homer, Merlin. "Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance." Review of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Canadian Woman Studies / Les Cahiers de la femme 14, no. 2 (Spring 1994): 126-127.
• Leuthold, Steven. "Kahnesatake: 270 Years of Resistance." Review of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Ethnohistory 44, no. 4 (Autumn 1997): 727-739.

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Came, Barry. "Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance." Review of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Maclean's, January 31, 1994.
• Dansereau, Suzanne. "Les Québécois seront-ils les derniers à voir Kanehsatake, le film d'Alanis Obomsawin sur la crise d'Oka?...." La Presse, September 19, 1993. [in French]
• Grant, Agnes. "Kanehsatake." Canadian Dimension, March-April 1994.
• Greer, Sandy. "Mohawks and the media." Review of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Take One (Toronto), Winter 1994.
• Klady, Leonard. "Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance." Review of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Variety, October 25, 1993.
• Marginson, Karen. "Talking heads: 'Kanehsatake's' Alanis Obomsawin." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. International Documentary, December-January 1993.
• Mello, Marie-Hélène. "'Les jeunes d'aujourd'hui ne savent même pas que ces événements ont eu lieu' - Alanis Obomsawin." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Ciné-Bulles, Autumn 2008. [in French]
• Roy, André. "Non réconciliés." Review of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. 24 Images, February-March 1994. [in French]
• Saxberg, Kelly. "Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance." Review of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Canadian Dimension, September-October 1993.
• Sluka, Jeff. "Overthrow and resistance." Review of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Illusions, Winter 1994.
• Tremblay, Odile. "Vues de l'intérieur : Après trois ans de gestation, voici enfin le film promis sur la crise d'Oka." Le Devoir, September 17, 1993. [in French]

Dissertation Chapters

• Kalbfleisch, Elizabeth Claire. "The Testamental Landscape: Framing Homeland in Alanis Obomsawin's Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance." In "Bordering on Feminism: Home and Transnational Sites in Recent Visual Culture and Native Women's Art," 81-154. PhD diss., University of Rochester, 2009.
• Restoule, Jean-Paul. "Native Peoples in Native Films." In "How 'Indians' Are Read: The Representation of Aboriginality in Films by Native and Non-Native Directors," 54-89. M.A. diss., University of Windsor, 1997.

Brief Sections of Dissertations

• St-Amand, Isabelle. "La crise d'Oka lors du siège, dans les films documentaires et dans les récits littéraires autochtones et allochtones au Québec et au Canada : événement, rapport à l'espace et représentations." PhD diss., Université du Québec à Montréal, 2012. (pp. 171-221) [in French]

My Name Is Kahentiiosta (1995)  (also known as: "Je m'appelle Kahentiiosta")

Brief Sections of Books

• Kaplan, E. Ann. Trauma Culture: The Politics of Terror and Loss in Media and Literature. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005. (pp. 116-121)
• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 110-112)

Spudwrench: Kahnawake Man (1997)  (also known as: "Spudwrench : l'homme de Kahnawake")

Brief Sections of Books

• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 111-114)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• White, Jerry. "Alanis Obomsawin." The Independent: Film & Video Monthly, October 1998.

Rocks at Whiskey Trench (2000)  (also known as: "Pluie de pierres à Whiskey Trench")

Brief Sections of Books

• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 114-116)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Bisson, Bruno. "Pluie de pierres à Whiskey Trench : Regard lucide sur un épisode peu glorieux de notre histoire." Review of Rocks at Whiskey Trench. La Presse, October 7, 2000. [in French]
• Hays, Matthew. "Alanis Obomsawin returns to Oka with Rocks at Whiskey Trench." Mirror (Montreal), September 28, 2000.
• Hays, Matthew. "Oka crisis: Worst moment revisited: Native filmmaker's documentary recalls 1990's fatal rock-throwing incident." Globe and Mail, June 21, 2000.
• Le Moal, Dan. "Rocks at Whiskey Trench mesmerizing viewing: Disturbing glimpse into Canadian psyche." Review of Rocks at Whiskey Trench. The First Perspective, August 2000.
• Tremblay, Odile. "L'autre côté de la médaille." Review of Rocks at Whiskey Trench. Le Devoir, October 7, 2000. [in French]

Is the Crown at War with Us? (2002)  (also known as: "La Couronne cherche-t-elle à nous faire la guerre?")

Brief Sections of Books

• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 163-169)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Fortney, Valerie. "Through the eyes of an activist filmmaker." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Calgary Herald, October 4, 2002.
• Loreto, Frank. "Is the Crown at War With Us?" Review of Is the Crown at War with Us?. Canadian Review of Materials, January 1, 2004.
• Lynch, Cory. "Is the Crown at War with Us?" Review of Is the Crown at War with Us?. Resource Links, February 2003.
• Scheib, Ronnie. "Is the Crown at War with Us?" Review of Is the Crown at War with Us?. Variety, December 1, 2003.
• Walker, Susan. "The war of the lobsters." Toronto Star, September 13, 2002.

Our Nationhood (2003)  (also known as: "La survie de nos enfants")

Brief Sections of Books

• Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 169-173)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Aitken, Anne-Marie. "La survie de nos enfants." Review of Our Nationhood. Relations, February 2005. [in French]

Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant (2006)  (also known as: "Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises")

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Hampson, Sarah. "Love and genocide; After decades of telling other people's stories, the Aboriginal filmmaker focuses on the tragedies of her own people. The power is still there, but the anger is gone." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Globe and Mail, October 21, 2006.
• Irvine, Linda. "Waban-aki: People from where the sun rises." Review of Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant. Resource Links, April 2008.
• Lavoie, André. "Entretien avec la réalisatrice Alanis Obomsawin : La culture comme résistance." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Le Devoir, August 30, 2006. [in French]

Gene Boy Came Home (2007)  (also known as: "Gene Boy revient chez lui")

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Chaput, Luc. "Gene Boy Came Home." Review of Gene Boy Came Home. Séquences, January-February 2008. [in French]

The People of the Kattawapiskak River (2012)  (also known as: "Le peuple de la rivière Kattawapiskak")

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Deerchild, Rosanna, and Tasha Hubbard. "The lens of Alanis Obomsawin." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Herizons, vol. 27, no. 1, Summer 2013.
• Everett-Green, Robert. "How Idle No More changes the view." Review of The People of the Kattawapiskak River. Globe and Mail, January 16, 2013.
• Godrèche, Dominique. "Alanis Obomsawin documents a crisis with 'The People of the Kattawapiskak River'." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Indian Country Today, May 27, 2013.

Hi-Ho Mistahey! (2013)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Szklarski, Cassandra. "Lens on First Nations education; Prolific filmmaker has been documenting Indigenous history over four decades." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Kamloops Daily News, September 9, 2013.

Children's Court Case (2014)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Davis, Kelly. "Alanis Obomsawin and the Children's Court Case." NFB Blog, October 22, 2014.

Trick or Treaty? (2014)  (also known as: "Ruse ou traité?")

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Everett-Green, Robert. "Quietly searing in its search for the truth." Review of Trick or Treaty?. Globe and Mail, October 24, 2014.
• King, Randall. "Film looks at activism through history's lens." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Winnipeg Free Press, February 7, 2015.
• Robb, Peter. "Alanis Obomsawin: A life spent creating truth in art." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Ottawa Citizen, February 20, 2015.

We Can't Make the Same Mistake Twice (2016)  (also known as: "On ne peut pas faire deux fois la même erreur")

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Taylor, Kate. "At the intersection of bureaucracy and humanity." Review of We Can't Make the Same Mistake Twice. Globe and Mail, October 21, 2016.

Our People Will Be Healed (2017)  (also known as: "Le chemin de la guérison")

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• King, Randall. "85-year-old filmmaker telling a story of hope." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Winnipeg Free Press, November 4, 2017.
• Nicoll, Doreen. "Alanis Obomsawin: legendary filmmaker releases her 50th film." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Herizons, vol. 32, no. 1, Spring 2018.
• Patch, Nick. "50 films & counting; Alanis Obomsawin sees her work telling Indigenous people's stories not as a career, but as a mission." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Toronto Star, September 9, 2017.

Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger (2019)  (also known as: "Jordan River Anderson, le messager")

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Commanda, Erica. "Alanis Obomsawin on listening to the messenger, Jordan's Principle and why we must never give-up." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Muskrat Magazine, September 10, 2019.

Archival Collections

• Cinemathèque québécoise (Montréal, Québec)
• Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa, Ontario)