Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

February 18, 2010

Cree filmmaker: Neil Diamond 'Real Injun' film

Reel Injun cuts through clichés
By Craig Takeuchi

From 2010 Winter Olympics medals and mascots to the opening ceremony, Native iconography has never been as prevalent in modern Vancouver as it is now. Although on the one hand the presence of Native cultures is being broadcast globally, on the other, international viewers may remain uninformed about the complicated history and contemporary realities of First Nations existence. Watch the trailer for Reel Injun.It’s fitting, then, that a Canadian documentary that examines a more pervasive—and problematic—form of visual politics is being released during the Olympics.
Reel Injun, codirected and cowritten by Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond (which opens on Friday [February 19] ), is a historical survey of how Native people have been portrayed in one of the most influential shapers of popular culture: Hollywood. From the earliest cinematic images of Native Americans and westerns to the inspirational rise of Native independent cinema, Diamond takes a look at the sluggish shift from stereotypical portrayals to better depictions and indigenous films like Canada’s Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. Read more:

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