The People of the Kattawapiskak River (2012)

Directed by

Alanis Obomsawin

Genre

documentary film

Country

Canada

Runtime

50 min

Rated

14A

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary examines the housing and health crisis in the Attawapiskat First Nation after a state of emergency was declared in 2011. The filmmaker interviews residents and officials while also covering the history of the community up to a court decision on the crisis.

observationalsoberinginformativeurgentgroundedreflectivecommunity-focused

What happens

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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