The People of the Kattawapiskak River is a 2012 documentary film by Alanis Obomsawin exploring conditions inside the Attawapiskat First Nation, which in October 2011 declared a state of emergency due to health and safety concerns over a lack of housing and infrastructure, and remained in the public spotlight during the Idle No More protests.[1]
| The People of the Kattawapiskak River | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alanis Obomsawin |
| Distributed by | National Film Board of Canada |
Release date |
|
| Country | Canada |
| Languages | English, Cree |
Obomsawin was present in the community in 2011, working on another film for the National Film Board of Canada, Hi-Ho Mistahey!, when the housing issue came to national attention.[2] The film follows the crisis up to the Federal Court of Canada decision in August 2012 that ruled the appointment of a third-party manager to fix the housing crisis was unjustified.[3] In addition to filming conditions in the community and interviewing residents, Obomsawin recounts the history of the village, which dates back to 1850 when Catholic missionaries built a chapel on the land.[4][5]
Obomsawin has stated that she uses the name "Kattawapiskak" in place of Attawapiskat in the film and its title because she believes it to be the community's correct name.[3]
Release
Obomsawin screens her films first in the local community, a practice that she continued with The People of the Kattawapiskak River.[3]
The film's official premiere took place on the opening night of the 13th imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto, with Obomsawin, Chief Theresa Spence, Member of Parliament Charlie Angus, and Attawapiskat community members in attendance.[5][6][7]
It subsequently screened on November 11, 2012, as part of the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal.[4] From January 11 to 18, 2013, the National Film Board streamed the film for free on its NFB.ca website.[8]
On March 4, 2014, the film received the Donald Brittain Award for best social/political documentary program at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards.[9]