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Is the Crown at War with Us?

Directed by Alanis Obomsawin
Canada, 2002 (documentary, 97 minutes, colour, English)
Also known as "La Couronne cherche-t-elle à nous faire la guerre?"
Is the Crown at War with Us?
Image: © National Film Board of Canada
Video (National Film Board of Canada)

Film Description:
"It was the summer of 2000 and the country watched with disbelief as federal fishery officers appeared to wage war on the Mi'gmaq fishermen of Esgenoopetitj, or Burnt Church, New Brunswick. Why would officials of the Canadian government attack citizens for exercising rights that had been affirmed by the highest court in the land? What happened at Burnt Church? Alanis Obomsawin casts her cinematic and intellectual nets into history to provide a context for the events on Miramichi Bay. Delineating the complex roots of the conflict with passion and clarity, she builds a persuasive defence of the Mi'gmaq position."
-- National Film Board of Canada (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Written by: Alanis Obomsawin
Produced by: Alanis Obomsawin, Sally Bochner
Narrator: Alanis Obomsawin
Music: Francis Grandmont
Production Company: National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada
(sources)

Notes about Is the Crown at War with Us?

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Quote by the Director

"I took it [Is the Crown at War with Us?] to the community, because I wanted them to see it first. About 15 minutes into the film, they started screaming and clapping. Then, they were crying. Later, they laughed at each other. It was just incredible, like a roller-coaster."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

Quote about Is the Crown at War with Us?

"In addition to a poetic litany of water imagery, [Alanis] Obomsawin touches on her usual preoccupations in the first moments of Is the Crown at War with Us?—the vulnerability and resilience of Native children, the rich and calming natural resources of Native land, the prominence of native women in tribal life."
-- Randolph Lewis (source)

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