Director Alexandra Lazarowich is making a movie about a successful New York City fashion designer returning home to rural Canada, her fiance in tow.
Except thereBԪַs a twist: The fashionista happens to be Cree BԪַ and home is a Northern Alberta reserve.
BԪַI wanted to show that Indigenous women can be loved and not end up as just a prop in someoneBԪַs film,BԪַ Lazarowich said.
BԪַThere isnBԪַt a romantic comedy which features an Indigenous woman who gets to be in love, stay in love and doesnBԪַt come from a completely dysfunctional family.BԪַ
Lazarowich, a Sundance Film Festival award winner, is hopeful her film marks a step in the right direction for CanadaBԪַs entertainment industry. She also wants to see progress built from last weekBԪַs report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which called on BԪַall governments to adequately fund and support Indigenous-led initiativesBԪַ in media and the arts.
Lazarowich would like to see it lead to a greater commitment to resources for Indigenous stories, but sheBԪַs not waiting around for others to shatter damaging stereotypes.
Her project, BԪַ2 Funerals, a Round Dance and a Wedding,BԪַ will cover the romcom genre, and she hopes other creators BԪַ and especially financiers BԪַ take heed and consider venturing into other worlds too.
BԪַWe need Indigenous people in space,BԪַ she says. BԪַWe need Indigenous people in the future.BԪַ
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Research has shown that media representation has a pivotal impact on public perception, especially when it comes to minorities. The fewer examples of visibility there are in Canadian pop culture, the more damaging stereotypical and negative portrayals can be.
Journalist Betty Ann Adam, whose experience as a victim of the Sixties Scoop was outlined in the NFB documentary BԪַBirth of a Family,BԪַ says the recommendation in the MMIWG report may emphasize too strongly the governmentBԪַs responsibility in media.
She says the responsibility must also lie on CanadaBԪַs private broadcasters and film distributors to BԪַtake actionBԪַ in their own ways.
BԪַItBԪַs incumbent on all Canadian producers, casting directors and music directors at every radio station,BԪַ she says.
BԪַDonBԪַt just relegate them to the Indigenous Hour.BԪַ
Adrian Sutherland, the lead singer in Attawapiskat-based band Midnight Shine, says he doesnBԪַt believe Canada is ready to fully embrace Indigenous artists quite yet, particularly on the music scene where only a few acts have broken into the Canadian mainstream.
His band, which formed in 2011, incorporates his experiences in a northern Ontario community with radio-friendly pop-rock hooks. Despite their best efforts, Midnight Shine continues to exist on the periphery of whatBԪַs popular.
BԪַWeBԪַve tried to push our music to the big boys, the big broadcasters, and weBԪַve spent a tremendous amount of resourcesBԪַ and have got nowhere,BԪַ he says.
BԪַThere definitely is a shift in peopleBԪַs minds, but for actual realBԪַ change, I donBԪַt believe that, I think itBԪַs garbage. I know how hard weBԪַve been working, pushing and pushing, and I donBԪַt know what else we could be doing at this point to get more shows. For me, I think itBԪַs going to take a little while longer for things to change and really get moving in the right direction.BԪַ
Sutherland hasnBԪַt given up, however, and every so often there are glimmers of hope Midnight Shine will break out.
Last year, the bandBԪַs cover of Neil YoungBԪַs BԪַHeart of Gold,BԪַ which featured a verse in Mushkegowuk Cree, became their most-streamed song on Spotify. TheyBԪַre hoping for similar success with a music video for the single BԪַLeather Skin.BԪַ
Actor and rapper Ronnie Dean Harris says his own experiences in CanadaBԪַs entertainment industry have taught him some important lessons about representation.
Early in his career, he played a rapping meth cook on BԪַMoccasin Flats,BԪַ a 2004 co-production of APTN and Showcase. The TV series captured a bleak picture of drugs and poverty on ReginaBԪַs urban reserve, but Harris believes some non-Indigenous viewers without context mightBԪַve seen his character merely as a negative stereotype.
BԪַWe have to think about what weBԪַre saying and what effect it has,BԪַ he says.
BԪַItBԪַs the symbolism thatBԪַs being put out there into the Canadian consciousness that needs to change BԪַ We donBԪַt need any more really terrible stories being told, I donBԪַt think.BԪַ
These days, Harris says heBԪַs focused on projects that fill gaps in representation. HeBԪַs interested in documentaries on unexplored perspectives on Canadian history, while he recently lent his voice to the upcoming animated kidsBԪַ series BԪַMolly of Denali,BԪַ which features a 10-year-old Indigenous girl as the titular character.
And heBԪַs got other ideas in his head too, like a buddy cop film with an Indigenous lead, and an ensemble piece similar to BԪַSuperbad,BԪַ but set on a reserve.
Lazarowich BԪַ whose forthcoming romantic comedy will break similar barriers BԪַ says there continues to be a BԪַsystemic problem in a lot of the artBԪַ that winds up playing in theatres, on television and streaming platforms.
Stories told by non-Indigenous creators often end up BԪַlacking so muchBԪַ context, she says, at times representing tired stereotypes or leaning too heavily on storylines of misfortune.
BԪַMy nieces and nephews donBԪַt have that many Indigenous people to look up to as heroes, and I think thatBԪַs a really important thing growing up,BԪַ says the director of BԪַFast Horse,BԪַ which picked up the short film jury prize at Sundance in January.
BԪַWho we are is joy, and sometimes tragedy, and we need to see the full spectrum on the big screen.BԪַ
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David Friend, The Canadian Press
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