Is the Crown at War with Us?

Directed by Alanis Obomsawin

Canada, 2002 (documentary, 97 minutes, colour, English)

Also known as "La Couronne cherche-t-elle à nous faire la guerre?"

Image: © National Film Board of Canada

Video (National Film Board of Canada)

Film Description:
"It was the summer of 2000 and the country watched with disbelief as federal fishery officers appeared to wage war on the Mi'gmaq fishermen of Esgenoopetitj, or Burnt Church, New Brunswick. Why would officials of the Canadian government attack citizens for exercising rights that had been affirmed by the highest court in the land? What happened at Burnt Church? Alanis Obomsawin casts her cinematic and intellectual nets into history to provide a context for the events on Miramichi Bay. Delineating the complex roots of the conflict with passion and clarity, she builds a persuasive defence of the Mi'gmaq position."
-- National Film Board of Canada (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Written by:	Alanis Obomsawin
Produced by:	Alanis Obomsawin, Sally Bochner
Narrator:	Alanis Obomsawin
Music:	Francis Grandmont
Production Company:	National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada

(sources)

Notes about Is the Crown at War with Us?

Shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2002.

(sources)

Quote by the Director

"I took it [Is the Crown at War with Us?] to the community, because I wanted them to see it first. About 15 minutes into the film, they started screaming and clapping. Then, they were crying. Later, they laughed at each other. It was just incredible, like a roller-coaster."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

Quote about Is the Crown at War with Us?

"In addition to a poetic litany of water imagery, [Alanis] Obomsawin touches on her usual preoccupations in the first moments of Is the Crown at War with Us?—the vulnerability and resilience of Native children, the rich and calming natural resources of Native land, the prominence of native women in tribal life."
-- Randolph Lewis (source)

Bibliography for Is the Crown at War with Us?

Book Chapters

Johnson, Ursula. "Incident at Restigouche, Is the Crown at War with Us?, Our Nationhood." In Alanis Obomsawin: Lifework, edited by Richard William Hill and Hila Peleg, 96-115. Munich: Prestel, 2022. 'This book accompanies the exhibition The Children Have to Hear Another Story—Alanis Obomsawin: Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, January 23-April 18, 2022; Vancouver Art Gallery, Spring 2023; Art Museum at the University of Toronto, Summer 2023'. [exhibition catalogue]

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.

Web Sites about Is the Crown at War with Us?

National Film Board of Canada. "NFB -- Is the Crown at War with Us?" National Film Board of Canada. http://nfb.ca/trouverunfilm/fichefilm.php?id=51067&v=h&lg=en&exp=.
Office national du film du Canada. "ONF -- La Couronne cherche-t-elle à nous faire la guerre?" Office national du film du Canada. http://nfb.ca/trouverunfilm/fichefilm.php?id=51100&v=h&lg=fr&exp=. [in French]