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Past Film/Video | Visiting Filmmakers | Documentaries
Alanis Obomsawin in personReception | 6 PM
Free for all audiences with ticket
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ACCESSIBILITY We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as CART captioning or ASL interpretation to participate in this event, please contact Accessibility Manager Helyn Marshall at accessibility@wexarts.org or via telephone at (614) 688-3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.
Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin presents her acclaimed 1993 documentary capturing the bravery of Kanien’kéhaka activists against government oppression at this special evening of food, conversation, and community.
The searing Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance follows the Oka Crisis, one of the most widely publicized instances of government-sanctioned violence against First Nations peoples in the 20th century. In 1990, the local government of Oka, a small town in Quebec, approved the development of a private golf course on sacred Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) burial grounds. Local activists and organizers defied this unilateral decision and physically stood their ground, attempting to prevent the destruction of their land. Throughout, filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin rallied alongside them, often the only member of the film crew present on the frontlines. In the end, the Canadian government would spend more than $155 million crushing the resistance. Obomsawin’s chronicle is a profound testament to the role filmmaking can play in a political struggle. (119 mins., DCP)
Obomsawin joins us for this special program that includes a reception and Q&A. Everything is free of charge! See the schedule below.
See the complete Visiting Filmmaker: Alanis Obomsawin lineup.
IMAGE CAPTION Alanis Obomsawin, photo: Scott Stevens, courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.
Reception with food from NAICCO (Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio) Cuisine Lower Lobby | 6–7 PM
Screening of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance Film/Video Theater | 7–9 PM (doors open 6:30 PM)
Conversation and Q&A with Alanis Obomsawin Film/Video Theater | 9–9:30 PM
Need a break over the course of the evening? Visit our café, where we’ll have activities for all ages 7–9 PM, or the galleries, which are open until 9:30 PM.
In the words of the members: Cinéseries is a student-led group that organizes monthly screenings in collaboration with the Wexner Center for the Arts. We aim to offer a space for students and the community to engage with film and expanded cinema from makers of a variety of backgrounds. We aspire to create an environment conducive to critical engagement by inviting filmmakers to showcase work that takes risks, challenges norms, and opens a conversation by devoting to a wide range of artist-centered and independent media.
Copresented with the Ohio State student group Cinéseries.
Special thanks to the Consulate General of Canada in Detroit, our partner for the series.
SUPPORT FOR FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY Rohauer Collection Foundation
WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY Greater Columbus Arts Council The Wexner Family National Endowment for the Arts Ohio Arts Council L Brands Foundation The Columbus Foundation Nationwide Foundation Institute of Museum and Library Services Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY Mike and Paige Crane Axium Packaging CampusParc Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams President Kristina M. Johnson and Mrs. Veronica Meinhard Nancy Kramer Larry and Donna James Lisa Barton Johanna DeStefano Jones Day Alex and Renée Shumate
Past Film/Video
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
