Alanis Obomsawin is one of the most prominent Canadian First Nations filmmakers in the world. With over 60 films and countless international awards to her name, she is still making cinema today, even at the age of 91. This retrospective presents four documentaries, from the first in 1971 to the most recent in 2022. It is an opportunity to explore the injustices suffered by indigenous communities over the years, from the neglect and mistreatment of children, to the demonization of the Mohawk tribe during the Oka Crisis in the 1990s. According to Alanis Obomsawin, "documentary cinema is one of the few places where our people can speak for themselves. I feel that the films I have made are of great value to our people, they allow us to see ourselves from the outside and to create the change that our children's future depends on. The programme was prepared by Morgane Ferrero, programme organiser of the REGARD International Short Film Festival. ———- One of the world's most famous indigenous film directors, Alanis Obomsawin came to cinema from the world of performance and storytelling. Since 1967, when she began working as a consultant for the National Film Board of Canada, she has made over 50 films, most memorably Incident at Restigouche (1984) and Kanehstake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993). The Abenaki filmmaker has received worldwide acclaim and her work was featured in a 2008 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. "Throughout my life, I have been most interested in education," says Obomsawin, "because it is what shapes a person, what teaches you to hate or to love." N-16 Christmas at Moose Factory Dir. Alanis Obomsawin / animation / Canada / 1971 / 13 min. Alanis Obomsawin's directorial debut, based on drawings by Cree children and their own stories. From the very beginning, auditioning has been an essential aspect of Obomsawin's practice. As the director herself has said, "documentary film is one of the few places where our people can speak for themselves. I feel that the films I make are of great value to our people, they allow us to see ourselves from the outside and to create the change that our children's future depends on. My name is Kahentiiosta / Je m’appelle Kahentiiosta Director. Alanis Obomsawin / documentary / Canada / 1996 / 29 min. This documentary by Alanis Obomsawin tells the story of Kahentiiosta, a young Kohnawaga Mohawk woman who was arrested after the Oka Crisis of 1990, a 78-day armed conflict. She was detained four days longer than the other women. For what? The prosecutor representing the Quebec government did not recognise her Indian name. Richard Cardinal : a cry from the diary of a Métis child / Richard Cardinal : le cri d’un enfant métis Director. Alanis Obomsawin / animation / Canada / 1987 / 29 min. Richard Cardinal committed suicide at the age of 17, after spending most of his life in a series of nursing homes and asylums across Alberta. In this short documentary, Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin uses excerpts from the young man's diary to create an emotionally powerful tribute to his short life. Released in 1984, ten years before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the film exposed the systematic neglect and abuse of First Nations children in Canada's child protection system. Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the 1986 American Indian Film Festival, the film was screened at the Alanis Obomsawin retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2008 and continues to be screened worldwide. Bill Reid remembers / Bill Reid se souvient Dir. Alanis Obomsawin / documentary / Canada / 2021 / 24 min. In this film, Alanis Obomsawin pays tribute to a friend who lived an extraordinary life and left behind a great legacy. Despite growing up far away from his tribal culture, renowned Haida artist Bill Reid has always felt close to the Haida Gwaii in his heart. While working for CBC Radio, he began training in jewellery making, then sculpture, using Haida techniques and imagery that would change his life and the Canadian art world forever. Reid's poignant words, interwoven with Obomsawin's own stories, tell the story of his difficult childhood, his transformation as a celebrated artist, and his deep connection to his homeland. Even decades later, Bill Reid remains an enduring force and one of Canada's most important artists.