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Join Alanis Obomsawin and Cindy Blackstock on January 19 at Cinéma du Parc for a free screening and discussion of We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice

PRESS RELEASE
16/01/2017

January 16, 2017 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

One of Canada’s most distinguished filmmakers, Alanis Obomsawin, O.C., G.O.Q., C.A.L.Q., will be at Cinéma du Parc on Thursday, January 19 with First Nations child welfare activist Cindy Blackstock to present a free screening and panel discussion of Obomsawin’s new National Film Board of Canada (NFB) documentary, We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice, presented by McGill University.

Free and open to the public, the evening will begin at 5 p.m. with introductions, followed by the screening starting at 5:30 p.m., and a panel discussion with McGill students after the film.

The latest film by the legendary Montreal-based Abenaki director, We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice explores a historic court challenge over child and family welfare services for First Nations children on reserves and in Yukon, filed by the Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and the Assembly of First Nations against Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada. The film documents this landmark nine-year legal battle, giving voice to the tenacious childcare workers at its epicentre―especially Caring Society executive director Cindy Blackstock.

Ms. Obomsawin has directed almost 50 films over four decades at the NFB, works that chronicle the lives and concerns of First Nations people and explore issues of importance to all. The recipient of numerous awards for film and social activism, last week she received the Clyde Gilmour Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association, who celebrated her as “a significant architect of Canadian cinema and culture.” She was also honoured in 2016 with two of Quebec’s highest distinctions in 2016 when she was named a Grande Officière of the Ordre national du Québec and awarded the Prix Albert-Tessier, for lifetime achievements in cinema.

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Associated Links

Cinéma du Parc
Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
Assembly of First Nations
Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada

Media Relations

  • About the NFB

    Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of distinctive, engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 6,500 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.