Standing under the giant canoe sculpture in Bastion Square, Steve SxwithulB次元官网网址檛xw (Swee-thult) pictures two stars engraved with the the names of Indigenous filmmakers and actors.
Saulteaux actor Adam Beach, and the late Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, would be SxwithulB次元官网网址檛xwB次元官网网址檚 choice for the first two stars of the Indigenous Walk of Fame, a project he hopes the City of Victoria will embrace.
SxwithulB次元官网网址檛xw presented his idea to council last week.
A producer and filmmaker, SxwithulB次元官网网址檛xw said there are many Indigenous people in the industry, but their accomplishments are not formally recognized.
B次元官网网址淲e have some very gifted Indigenous, Native American actors that B次元官网网址� some are gone and some are still active B次元官网网址� but [all] have yet to get the recognition I feel they deserve,B次元官网网址� he said.
Even in Hollywood films, SxwithulB次元官网网址檛xw said, there are problems with the way Indigenous people are represented.
B次元官网网址淭here are just so many [actors]B次元官网网址ho are playing Indigenous people. When you look at them, itB次元官网网址檚 ridiculous,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e arenB次元官网网址檛 being represented properly in the way we want to be represented in film.B次元官网网址�
Burt Reynolds, Audrey Hepburn, and Johnny Depp, for example, have all portrayed Indigenous characters.
Right now, he said, is the time to address the lack of acknowledgement, with 2017 named the Year of Reconciliation, in various places across the country, including in the City of Victoria.
The Indigenous Walk of Fame, he said, would honour Indigenous people in the film industry for their contributions, especially because they are noticeably absent from the Hollywood Walk of Fame and underrepresented.
Victoria would be an ideal spot, SxwithulB次元官网网址檛xw said, because it is a tourist city, and because of the proximity to Vancouver as Hollywood North.
HeB次元官网网址檚 applied for a grant, spoken to local politicians about supporting the project, and has even incorporated the name Indigenous Walk of Fame as a charity.
Councillors will be discussing SxwithulB次元官网网址檛xwB次元官网网址檚 idea at ThursdayB次元官网网址檚 committee of the whole meeting.
