WABAN-AKI: People from Where the Sun Rises

Many thanks to the wonderful Wendy G!

** Filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin will be present for a post-show Q&A **

Yvonne M’Sadoques rocks forward in her chair. She’s lived in the Abenaki community of Odanak for over a century – and has no shortage of stories to tell.

“The priest would march into our home and order us to stop dancing. We were going to the devil, he said.” She pauses, a humorous glint in her eye. “But you know – I don’t really believe in the devil. Do you?”

M’Sadoques is in conversation with Alanis Obomsawin, another of Odanak’s proud daughters – and one of Canada’s leading documentary filmmakers.

Obomsawin’s illustrious career comes full circle with Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises. Having dedicated nearly four decades to chronicling the lives of Canada’s First Nations, she returns to the village where she was raised to craft a lyric account of her own people.

Best Documentary Award, 2006, Imagine Native Media Arts Festival, Toronto

Alanis Obomsawin, a member of the Abenaki Nation, is one of Canada’s most distinguished documentary filmmakers. Her work embraces strong social themes and is inspired by the desire to let the voices of her people be heard. She has made over 20 uncompromising documentaries on issues concerning Aboriginal people in Canada.