Alanis Obomsawin rests on a rock beside the Lake of Two Mountains, Kanehsata:ke, 1990 , Photo: John Kenney
Mother of Many Children (1977), 16 mm, colour, sound, 28 min, Courtesy National Film Board of Canada
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993), 16 mm, colour, sound, 119 min, Courtesy National Film Board of Canada

Feb 12–Apr 18, 2022

The Children Have to Hear Another Story – Alanis Obomsawin

Exhibition, Online Cinema

Feb 12–Apr 18, 2022

Five decades of activist filmmaking: Alanis Obomsawin's documentaries give insights into the lives and concerns of Indigenous communities.

Alanis Obomsawin grew up in Canada at a time when options for social and political agency were systemically foreclosed for Indigenous Peoples. Despite this, she has managed to consistently access public platforms to advance Indigenous concerns and give voice to the First Nations. Since the 1970s, she has created a model of Indigenous cinema that is deeply committed to social justice and the collective issue of ecology. Her work challenges the core assumptions of the world system determined by colonialism. This exhibition and accompanying book contribute to the current discourse in Europe on histories of representation. Bringing together a vivid selection of films, prints and music, The Children Have to Hear Another Story reflects on Obomsawin’s lifework of documentary making, storytelling and listening.

A public program will include guided tours, talks, workshops and film screenings.

Curators: Richard William Hill and Hila Peleg

Part of The New Alphabet