Description
Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women's Cinema is a collection of 18 essays, both original and previously published, that address the impact and influence of almost a century of women's filmmaking in Canada. These critical essays employ a variety of frameworks to analyse cinematic practices that range from narrative to documentary to avant-garde. Of particular interest to First Nations are two essays. Zuzana Pick explores the body of documentary work by the award-winning Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin. Storytelling and Resistance examines her films from Christmas at Moose Factory (1971) to Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993). Carol Kalafatic critically examines the work of three Aboriginal filmmakers, Shelley Niro, Loretta Todd, and Christine Welsh. While Catherine Russell's essay explores The Company of Strangers, she minimizes the issue of race and the role of the Mohawk Elder from Kahnawake. This is an important work by leading Canadian film scholars and the inclusion of First Nations cinematic artists is a significant step of inclusion for the growing scholarship.