From the age of 12, Tracey Deer wanted to be a filmmaker. After studying film at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, she now makes award-winning films that offer a glimpse into Aboriginal issues. In Club Native (2008), Deer looks deeply into the history and present-day reality of Mohawk identity. It earned two Gemini Awards, shared with producers Rezolution Pictures and the National Film Board. One More River (2004) is a documentary Deer co-directed with Neil Diamond. Engaging viewers in an account of a Cree Nation’s controversial decision to support a new hydroelectric dam, it won Best Documentary at the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois. Her film, Mohawk Girls (2005), follows the lives of three teenagers growing up at Kahnawake and was honoured with the Alanis Obomsawin Best Documentary Award at the Imaginenative Film Festival. It was recently turned into a television pilot, which she directed and called “Mohawk Girls: the series.” She credits local filmmakers for getting her started, particularly Catherine Bainbridge of Rezolution Pictures. (PF)
raev.ca / quebec-elan.org / blackboxproductions.tv
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"Recognizing Artists: Enfin Visibles!" is a project of the English-Language Arts Network.
RAEV aims to raise awareness of the creative explosion taking place in Quebec's English-speaking cultural scene. Visit RAEV.ca to experience:
* 150 profiles of artists at the leading edge of Quebec's English arts renaissance.
* 24 videos spotlighting artists discussing their life and work in Quebec.
* 7 feature-length histories detailing the rarely-told stories of the English arts community.
* An interactive online map of who, what, where and when English arts is happening in Quebec.
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Formed in 2005, ELAN is dedicated to connecting Quebec's English-speaking artists with one another, with their francophone colleagues, and with audiences in Quebec, across Canada and internationally. quebec-elan.org