The Road Forward: A musical documentary about First Nations activism
By Barb Nahwegahbow
TORONTO—Who but Marie Clements would think to do a musical documentary about the First Nations activist movement? “She’s brilliant,” said Michelle St. John, a Toronto-based actor and singer and one of the performers in The Road Forward.
The film premiered at the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival in Toronto. Over 200 documentaries were screened this year and included four Canadian Indigenous films.
“The film pays tribute to the social, political and legal civil rights movement of First Nations activists in Canada,” noted Clements, an award-winning Métis writer, director and producer, when this year’s line-up was announced.
The musical journey of Canada’s colonial history and the activism that it started focuses for the first part on the Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood, organizations founded in British Columbia in the 1930’s.
“They formed a newspaper,” said Clements. “[It was] called The Native Voice with news stringers all over North America sharing a Native reality that had never been shared before.”
“The Native Brotherhood started when it was illegal for Indians to meet,” said Ed Newman, who was President of the Brotherhood for 11 years starting in 1977. “The organization not only protected treaty rights and advanced hunting and fishing rights and a better quality of life for First Nations people, but it created a sense of belonging.”
On-screen interviews with descendents of the Brotherhood founders and allies, re-enactments of events, and archival photographs and footage are skillfully woven to bring the heady early days of the movement to life and the ongoing struggle for justice.
“Our story is based on that history,” Clements said. “Giving voice to our present reality with the musicians and vocalists of our day. It’s a hybrid documentary using music to forward the ideas in the stories.”
Clements gets the best from the ensemble of musicians and vocalists which includes singers, composers, fiddlers, and drummers from many different nations. The performances are strong with no exception. They seamlessly connect the past and present with soaring vocals, blues, rock, and traditional beats.
In the discussion with the audience following the premiere on April 30, some of the performers spoke about their respect for Clements and the challenge of working with her on the film.
“It’s amazing to be part of it,” said Cheri Maracle, an actor and singer from Six Nations. “Marie is a prophet and a poet and her words take you somewhere that you never imagined could exist and her dedication and heart and soul are for the people.”
“I’ve been working with Marie for a long time and you have to be willing to tip toe out to the very end of the diving board and be able to dive headfirst without knowing what’s under there,” stated Michelle St. John, Gemini award winning actor and singer. “That’s a tremendous amount of faith and respect that we all have for Marie as an artist.”
The Road Forward is a National Film Board production.