Synopsis
In a unique and defiant blend, the film tells the story of six generations of Indigenous activism through song and story.
The Road Forward
2017 Directed by Marie Clements
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A documentary/performance piece/musical that celebrates the history of the agency, power and resistance of Indigenous people in Canada? Yes please! Clements gives us a rockstar treatment/history lesson on the Native Brotherhood of BC, their Native Voice newspaper, George Manuel, and the Constitution Express. She highlights women's contributions to these movements, valuing work that is frequently ignored and undervalued. She plays with form, juxtaposing stylized re-enactments, musical performances, animated graphics, historical footage and modern interviews of her actors and subjects - and not just about the past, about their own individual stories of finding and claiming their identities and culture. Through this dreamlike pastiche of storytelling, Clements connects the history and movements of the past with what is going on today.…
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“In the days when the [Native] Brotherhood was powerful, we had one common enemy. That was the Government of Canada. We pulled out of the treaty process because they were trying to extinguish our title and rights, ‘cause without our title and rights we got nothing, and the Haisla people would never allow anybody to extinguish their title and rights to the ocean and to the land. That’s what the Brotherhood stood for to begin with. They wanted to do away with our system, with who we were as First Nations people, take away our language and take away our culture. Canada has one of the worst human rights records in the world, yet they go around preaching to other people…
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This was super interesting and I learned a lot about Canada’s history that I had previously never heard of (things such as the Constitution Express or the Native Brotherhood)
Would recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about our history that schools did not cover!
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This inventive and bold piece of work, part documentary, part performance piece, does a lot of good. There are some places where the meaning is far too muddled, and other places where the parallels shine brightly. What's unmistakable is how much of an accomplishment this piece of art is. Relevant, collaborative, and respectful of the past while insisting on the future, Clements proves why she's an important figure in both activism and art.
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Wow. What a beautifully crafted, powerful, and deeply moving film. Highly recommended viewing, especially in light of what it means to celebrate "Canada's 150th birthday" this year. Through a weaving of talented musical performances, documentary subject stories, reenactments, and documentary footage The Road Forward presents the importance and relevance of Indigenous history in understanding the present, as well as the future. The incredibly talented musicians that appear in the film assert the strength of an undeniable presence of Indigenous peoples, as well as celebrates Indigenous culture, and uncovers and commemorates the histories of important Indigenous activists and leaders. For audiences in Vancouver, the film will be screening again on May 10, 2017, at 12:30pm at the Orpheum Annex as part of the DOXA documentary film festival.
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Utterly unique and unlike any documentary - or any film really - that I've seen. Dramatic reproductions of scenes from history, songs, art, interviews, historical archival materials, and conversations used to tell Native American history from the 1930s through to current, mostly around BC. Some of th key topics include The Native Voice, The Native Brotherhood (and Sisterhood), and the Constitution Express.