Falling in love with the wrong person can have devastating repercussions for Mohawks on the Kahnawake reserve in Quebec. Award-winning director Tracey Deer takes a courageous look at her home community, raising questions of identity, history and tradition through the lives of four inspiring Mohawk women. With warmth, depth and humour, stories unfold about the heartbreaking costs of "marrying out" of their Mohawk Nation, the challenges faced by kids of mixed backgrounds, and the conflict between love and preserving the fabric of their community. Having children with the men they love can mean forfeiting their offspring's legal native status, including the right to live with their families on the reserve. The film doesn't flinch from the history of Canada's racist and sexist government policy, including the brutal force used against them during the Oka Crisis in 1990. A groundbreaking film and a powerful story of the triumph of love and the human spirit.
-Lynne Fernie

How did you decide on this subject matter?

The film looks at an issue that is very controversial in my community, as well as in many Native and cultural communities across Canada, so I grew up entrenched in it.  The "characters" in the film are all people I love very much and this issue affects them all in different ways.  The subject matter chose me, not the other way around.

 What was your main objective in making this film?

First, I wanted to bring humanity back to this idea of "belonging" and "identity" because, over the years, these words have evolved into abstract political concepts in our communities.  Second, I hope the film provides perspective on what we've become and really makes us think, as Native people, if this is the path we want to continue following. And finally, I hope it broadens the Canadian public's understanding of the Native world and its complexities.

What were the toughest challenges you faced?

The people in the film believed in me from the very start.  Their courage to put themselves on the front lines of such a controversial issue was overwhelming to me throughout the process.  My biggest challenge was on a personal level, grappling with my responsibility as a filmmaker to properly tell their stories and worrying about the consequences they could face for their participation.

What is the most rewarding result from the making of your film?

I feel really honoured to have been given so much trust from the people in the film.  If I have been able to properly utilize that honesty so that an audience member can leave the film with a new perspective or feeling - that is always the most rewarding aspect of filmmaking for me.

If you had to use three words to describe your film, what would they be?

Personal, Universal, Emotional

CLUB NATIVE Screenings:

Friday April 18, 6:30 PM @ THE BLOOR

Sunday April 20, 2:15 PM @ THE ROM