determiNATION songs at the Montreal Human Rights Film Festival ( FFDPM)

determiNATION songs at the FFDPM
Date : Wednesday, 17 March, 2010
Time : 17:00 - 19:00
Location : Cinéma ONF, 1564 rue St-Denis, Montreal, QC

In determiNATION songs three native artists use voice, rhythms, samples and guitar riffs to cut through big ‘P’ politics to reveal a vibrant native music scene while exposing the realities and struggles in their communities. As resistance grows across Indian country, this film about music, art and politics pulls aboriginal stories from the back pages and puts them squarely at the front of the stage.

OFFICIAL SELECTION :

Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM)
Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels - Biarritz (FIPA)
Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois (RVCQ)

Bilingual trailer :

Directed by Michelle Smith and Paul Rickard, determiNATION songs interweaves the stories of three talented native singer/songwriters - Samian, Cheri Maracle and CerAmony – through the artists’ creative process, inspiration, commitment and involvement with the resistance movements in their communities.

A rising star on the Quebec music scene, hip hop artist Samian raps in Algonquin about his personal struggles growing up, giving voice to a generation of dispossessed youth and obliging Quebecers to confront their historical relationship with First Nations.

Cheri Maracle, nominated for best female artist at the 2008 Aboriginal Music Awards, recently returned to her community of Six Nations. She sings about life on the rez and the struggle over unceded Mohawk land. She expresses what life is like for First Nations women, and pays homage to the thousands of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada.

Cree rockers Pakesso Mukash and Mathew Iserhoff, members of CerAmony, use Pak’s powerful guitar and Mat’s soaring vocals to air the concerns of their people disenchanted with the destruction and sell off of Cree land to Hydro Quebec and big industry.

Growing up, many young Aboriginal artists experienced a loss of traditional culture and language. Music became a vehicle to reclaim native language and aspects of traditional culture that have been slowly eroding over centuries of colonial policy.

In the process, their work becomes a powerful source of strength, cultural renewal and political awareness for members of their community, particularly the youth, be it on or off reserve, in the city or in isolated settlements. For the broader public, these artists move people to dance, cry, think and act, all the while becoming more aware of the concerns facing First Nations peoples today.

Check out the official website for more information : http://pmm.qc.ca/determinationfilm

For information, interviews : Malcolm Guy, mguy[at]pmm.qc.ca ; Isabelle Dame, idame[at]pmm.qc.ca - 514 842-4047

Hope you enjoy these clips from some of our films. Hover over the image for a short preview. Like what you see... more information here.

Mirage of El Dorado (El Dorado, la Sed de Oro)

This prize winning feature-length documentary by Martin Frigon takes us high into the Andes of northern Chile where Canadian-owned Barrick Gold, the biggest gold producer in the world, is set to move glaciers if necessary to get at the mineral riches beneath.

The area borders on the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth, and many people in the Huasca Valley and beyond fear for their source of water and the glaciers that help supply it. The struggle around Pascua Lama is a David and Goliath confrontation with global consequences in an isolated region far from public scrutiny.

Please check out the trailer below and the Mirage web site for more information.

Grand Prize 2009 (Premio Festival) Festival Internacional de Cine Digital de Vina del Mar (International Festival of Digital Cinema of Vina del Mar)

Grand Prize 2008 26th Festival International du Film d’Environnement (International Festival of Films on the Environment)

*** Order a DVD of Mirage of El Dorado ***

Mirage of El Dorado - Download press kit and stills

 Director, scriptwriter : Martin Frigon
 Producer : Lucie Pageau
 DOP & collaboration in the direction : Marcelo Riveros
 Sound : Iphigénie Marcoux-Fortier
 Editor : Guillermo López Pérez
Visit the web site of Mirage of El Dorado

Click here for special collection of our films on Migration, Migrant Workers and Refugees

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 Bledi, This is Our Home
 Man of the Family
 Mirage of El Dorado
 My Friend Ana
 Philippines : Waging war on the people
 Rebel Music Americas

Films with a point of view !