‘Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance - Alanis Obomsawin’

In July 1990, a dispute over a proposed golf course to be built on Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) lands in Oka, Quebec, set the stage for a historic confrontation that would grab international headlines and sear itself into the Canadian consciousness. Director Alanis Obomsawin—at times with a small crew, at times alone—spent 78 days behind Kanien’kéhaka lines filming the armed standoff between protestors, the Quebec police and the Canadian army. 

Alanis Obomsawin (1932) is one of the world's most acclaimed indigenous filmmakers. Over five decades, she created a model of indigenous cinema that inspired many artists and academics. Her credo: let indigenous people tell their own story. She places great importance on youth and education: ‘My main interest all my life has been education because that’s where you develop yourself, where you learn to hate, or to love’. 

The screening will be followed by a virtual conversation with Alanis Obomsawin, moderated by Em. Dr Rik Pinxten (professor and researcher of cultural anthropology at the University of Gent).