this river

Directed by Erika MacPherson and Katherena Vermette

Canada, 2016 (documentary, 19 minutes, colour, English)

Also known as "cette rivière"

Image: © National Film Board of Canada

Video (National Film Board of Canada)

Film Description:
"this river offers a first-hand perspective on the devastating experience of searching for a loved one who has disappeared. Kyle Kematch and Katherena Vermette have both experienced this heartbreak. Kyle has a sister who went missing over five years ago. He now works with Drag the Red, a volunteer organization that searches the Red River for clues relating to missing members of the Indigenous community. Katherena is a poet and writer whose work stems from a family tragedy that happened over 20 years ago. Though their stories are different, they each exemplify the beauty, grace, resilience, and activism born out of the need to do something."
-- National Film Board of Canada (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Written by:	Katherena Vermette, Erika MacPherson
Produced by:	Alicia Smith, David Christensen
Narrator:	Katherena Vermette
Participants:	Kyle Kematch, Calvin Alexander, Katherena Vermette
Cinematography:	Iris Ng
Production Company:	National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada

(sources)

Award won by this river

Canadian Screen Award: Best Short Documentary -- awarded to Katherena Vermette, Erika MacPherson, Alicia Smith, David Christensen

Quote by the Director

"I was working on poetry about the river when Alicia Smith from the National Film Board (NFB) approached me about doing something. We weren't sure what, but it was going to be something like poetry, but not poetry, and like a documentary but different. She was interested in the story of my [missing] brother—but I didn't want to tell that story in isolation when devastatingly, stories like that happen way too often. We were inspired by the work of Drag the Red and the connections with the river kept coming up. We wanted to show the river as the beautiful body of water it is, so we got Erika [MacPherson] on board because she makes beautiful films."
-- Katherena Vermette (source)

Bibliography for this river

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

Footman, Akeesha. "'this river' documentary searches for missing and murdered Indigenous women & girls." Interview with Katherena Vermette, Erika MacPherson. Muskrat Magazine, August 4, 2016.

Web Sites about this river

National Film Board of Canada. "NFB -- this river." National Film Board of Canada. http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/our-collection/?idfilm=63089.
Office national du film du Canada. "ONF -- cette rivière." Office national du film du Canada. http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/fr/notre-collection/?idfilm=64486. [in French]