REDEFINING THE NFB’S RELATIONSHIP WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES A THREE‑YEAR PLAN (2017–2020) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS THREE-YEAR PLAN: PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES 2 BACKGROUND 7 NFB TRANSFORMATION: THREE-YEAR GOALS, 4 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS ON THE PATH TO RECONCILIATION 16 NFB INDIGENOUS ADVISORY 5 THE ROAD FORWARD ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR ADVISORY MEMBERS FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO WORKING WITH US THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION, AND ALL THE INDIGENOUS FILMMAKERS AND PARTNERS, PAST AND PRESENT, WHO HAVE WORKED AT AND WITH THE NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA (NFB) HI-HO MISTAHEY! OVER THE YEARS. Alanis Obomsawin We would also like to acknowledge our enormous debt to the first generation of Alanis and others to claim a space for Indigenous filmmakers at the NFB, first Indigenous voices within the NFB, on and foremost Alanis Obomsawin. Alanis Canadian screens and within the broader joined the NFB in 1967 and fought against Canadian production industry constitute an often hostile environment to create the foundations for the commitments an unparalleled body of work that has we are making today. fundamentally recast understandings of Indigenous realities and relationships with settler society. The struggles of Claude Joli-Coeur Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chairperson BACKGROUND FOUNDED IN 1939, THE NFB IS A PUBLIC PRODUCER OF DOCUMENTARY, ANIMATION, INTERACTIVE/IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES AND, AT TIMES IN OUR HISTORY, WORKS OF FICTION. The NFB has been producing works about THE BALLAD OF CROWFOOT Indigenous lives and experiences since Willie Dunn the early 1940s. Our full collection of works by and/or about Indigenous peoples currently totals just over 650 titles. While In 1968, during a period of growing many of these films have helped to build awareness about the vital importance of understanding between Indigenous and broadening the diversity of voices behind non-Indigenous Canadians, others helped the camera, the NFB established the to shape and perpetuate racist and colonial “Indian Film Crew,” a production crew of perceptions of Indigenous peoples. Shared Indigenous film trainees. As noted by with Canadians on television, in festivals, Gil Cardinal, “this marked the beginning in community screenings and in schools of Aboriginal films being made by Aboriginal across Canada, including Indian Residential people at the NFB (and most likely in the Schools, these films contributed to a system rest of Canada).”1 of mis-education with devastating social impacts that have been well documented in the work of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). 1 Gil Cardinal, “The Aboriginal Voice: The National Film Board and Aboriginal Filmmaking Through the Years” (2009). 2 The first film produced by this new filmmakers: the Cinéastes autochtones production unit was The Ballad of program (1995–2001); the Tremplin Nikanik Crowfoot (Willie Dunn, 1968). Gradually, competition (2012) in partnership with the NFB began to build a body of work APTN; and, in cooperation with the OBORO looking at Canada and the world artist-run centre and Wapikoni Mobile, through Indigenous eyes. Déranger (2016), an intensive creative lab aimed at young and established Since the late 1960s, the NFB has produced multidisciplinary artists from Inuit and approximately 280 works by First Nations, First Nations communities. The NFB’s Métis and Inuit directors, including 49 films ever-growing collection of work reflecting (and counting) by legendary documentarian the perspectives, lives and experiences of Alanis Obomsawin. These films have Canada’s Indigenous peoples is shared with been produced both through our regular Canadians through a range of distribution programming process and through a channels (NFB.ca, other online channels range of initiatives, including the Indian such as Netflix, YouTube and iTunes, Film Crew (1968–1970); the Indian Film television, festivals, community screenings, Training Program (1971–1973); Studio One public libraries, etc.) and is widely used (an Indigenous film studio based out of in Canadian schools and universities. At Edmonton from 1991– 1996); the Aboriginal present, the NFB has more than 20 projects Film Program (a specific programming with Indigenous creators underway across stream for Indigenous filmmakers that our production studios. ran from 1996–2008); as well as initiatives aimed at regionally specific capacity building like First Stories and Second Stories (Prairies, 2005–2006), Stories from Our Land (Nunavut, 2010–2012) and Coastal Labrador (2017–2019). In Quebec, the NFB has launched a number of initiatives aimed at French-speaking Indigenous THE ROAD FORWARD Marie Clements 3 ON THE PATH TO RECONCILIATION IN 2015, THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION ISSUED ITS FINAL REPORT AND 94 CALLS TO ACTION. Offering meticulous documentation of the reconciliation, including implementing devastating impacts of Canada’s Aboriginal TRC recommendations that can be applied policies and Indian Residential Schools to our organization, entering into a new in particular, the Commission has called relationship with Indigenous creators, for a new era in relationships between partners and audiences, and responding Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. to systemic inequities and barriers to In its final report, the Commission underlined access that the Indigenous community has the critical role of culture in expanding our long identified in the current production understanding of ourselves and our history, ecosystem, most recently in the Canadian exposing truths, and laying the groundwork Media Fund (CMF)-led research and for reconciliation: “Creative expression can multi-stakeholder engagement process play a vital role in this national reconciliation, A Path Forward: Supporting and Developing providing alternative voices, vehicles, and the Indigenous Screen-based Media venues for expressing historical truths and Industry in Canada. present hopes.”2 As we move forward, we take our inspiration It also highlighted the key role of public- from the careful and critical work of the TRC: memory institutions like the NFB in the “Reconciliation must inspire Aboriginal shaping and sharing of national collective and non-Aboriginal peoples to transform memory—in reframing our “understanding Canadian society so that our children and of who we are and what has come before.”3 grandchildren can live together in dignity, peace, and prosperity on these lands As a public producer and distributor of we now share.”4 documentary, animation and immersive/ interactive works with a mandate to reflect Canada/Canadian perspectives to Canadians and the rest of the world, the NFB is committed to a process of 2 The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015), 329. 3 Ibid., 318. 4 Ibid., 7. 4 THE ROAD FORWARD AS A STARTING POINT, THE NFB IS IMPLEMENTING A THREE-YEAR PLAN BASED ON COMMITMENTS TO: transform the face and institutional culture Creating institutional change is a long- of the NFB; play a leadership role in the term and non-linear task that requires a industry through the changes we are making; clear vision and well-defined, coherent entrench representational equity for First strategies. To facilitate the change process Nations, Métis, Inuit and urban Indigenous and create momentum, we will base creators; adopt Indigenous-led protocols ourselves on three key stages: for working with Indigenous content and subjects; make our collection of Indigenous 1. creating a climate for change; works more accessible; proactively connect 2. engaging and enabling stakeholders; this work to Indigenous and non-Indigenous and audiences; and nurture this collection for generations to come. 3. embedding and sustaining change. The NFB recognizes that institutional We recognize that responsibility for cultural change is a process that will most operational implementation lies at all levels: likely take more than three years. This plan overarching plans and enabling actions at is a structured starting point to a much the leadership level, as well as within our longer journey and a long-term institutional cross-country network of production studios commitment. and at all levels of the organization. A phased approach to implementation, driven The NFB commits to sharing this strategy by the priorities identified in discussions and key priorities publically—making the with our Indigenous Advisory group, as well processes and changes transparent. as establishing performance measurements, will be the next step in operationalizing these commitments. 5 THREE-YEAR PLAN: PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES PURPOSE OVERARCHING PRINCIPLES As Canada’s public producer and We will ensure full engagement with the distributor of stories that reflect Canada Indigenous documentary and animation and Canadian perspectives to Canadian communities and relevant Indigenous and global audiences, we are committed experts (education, copyright, archives, to implementing strategic and concrete etc.) in (re)shaping the conditions/priorities actions that will respond to the work of Indigenous production and distribution and recommendations of the TRC and at the NFB. the concerns of Indigenous creators, and contribute to a positive legacy for We will work and share with other partners generations to come. in the industry to ensure what we are creating is sustainable. We recognize that institutional transformation is a long-term process. We recognize