The Toronto International Film Festival is rolling out the red carpet for Alanis Obomsawin. The award-winning Abenaki documentary filmmaker, writer, singer, and activist was previously named as this year’s recipient of the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media, and now word comes that Celebrating Alanis, a special Cinematheque retrospective celebrating the multi-hyphenate, will be presented. The presentation of films “spans Obomsawin’s vast accomplishments and is co-presented with the National Film Board of Canada,” a press release details.
“Alanis Obomsawin is often described as an activist filmmaker,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF Artistic Director and Co-Head. “Alanis’s body of work focuses on discrimination and injustice, but also on Indigenous strength and resistance. It is an honor to celebrate her work with these 19 films in the retrospective, including the world premiere of her newest title, ‘Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair.’ Every story matters, and through Celebrating Alanis, audiences can experience how her work has fundamentally impacted how people in Canada, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, understand ourselves.”
“Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger” and “Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance” are among Obomsawin’s credits.
TIFF also announced its Platform section, a juried program spotlighting trailblazing directors from around the world. Women-directed offerings account for four of its eight titles, or 50 percent of the slate. Features set to screen include Kamila Andini’s “Yuni,” a portrait of an ambitious teenage girl facing pressure to marry, and “Earwig,” Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s English-language debut, a story about a girl with teeth of ice.
Set to take place September 8-18, this year’s edition of TIFF will feature in-person and digital programming. Check out all of the Platform titles helmed by women below.
Earwig Lucile Hadžihalilović | United Kingdom/France/Belgium
World Premiere
Mlungu Wam (Good Madam) (Mlungu Wam) Jenna Cato Bass | South Africa
World Premiere
Silent Land (Cicha Ziemia) Aga Woszczyńska | Poland/Italy/Czech Republic
World Premiere
Yuni Kamila Andini | Singapore/France/Indonesia/Australia
World Premiere
