Filmmaker, Marie Clements, was interviewed on Q with Tom Powers April 26, 2017 (CBC) regarding the release of her film The Road Forward. To conclude the interview Powers asked her what conversation she was hoping theatre-goers would have as they left the theatre.
“I am hoping that [the film] connects non-native and native audiences. It lets us understand that anyone that lives in Canada and the US, that this history is still alive. The past has had a real influence and impact on what our present situation is and also what our future will be. I want people to be inspired; to really understand that these activists, these giants, are a part of us and that we should be proud of that. And I love the idea that to create any kind of change for the better, native and non-native, men and women have to be together…that everybody has to be at the same table.”
Cinema Politica summarizes the film as follows: “The Road Forward is a rousing tribute to the fighters for First Nations rights, a soul-resounding historical experience, and a visceral call to action” (The Road Forward, n.d.)
The Road Forward was originally commissioned and performed at the Aboriginal Pavilion for the 2010 Olympics. In 2015 it was produced as a full-length theatrical show for PuSH Festival. In 2016 Marie Clements worked with Wayne Lavallee, who wrote the original score, and brought together an ensemble of Indigenous musicians and performers to bring to life the past 80 years of politics and protest on the British Columbia west coast and across Canada. In 2017 The Road Forward was the official launch of Aabiziingwashi (#WideAwake): NFB Indigenous Cinema on Tour! Throughout that year the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) offered its collection of 250+ Indigenous-made films to all Canadians (DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2017 Program Guide).
Guidelines: Answer each of the following questions in your essay
1. A) Referencing the course chapter in our textbook, “Embodied Oppression,” plus relevant course material, explain The Cycle of Oppression (p. 179), clearly outlining each component within the cycle.
B) Chronicle expressions of the stereotyping; prejudice; discrimination; and oppression presented in the film The Road Forward. Pay attention to the musical vignettes in order to do so. Make certain to explain why your examples are illustrative of the above processes.
Focussing on the musicians, actors, and singers profiled in the film, consider issues of identity. We as viewers are introduced to each of them individually, and throughout the film these interviews are interwoven between the musical vignettes. In these moving interviews, what do we see as expressions of pride and of struggle in terms of their identities as Indigenous peoples?
The Road Forward is also a celebration of indigenous resistance efforts, particularly in BC throughout the twentieth century.
a) Explain the significance of the Native Voice and the Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood of BC? b) What other important legislative events are profiled in the film? Why were they significant?
c) Why does resistance matter?
