Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises
In this feature-length documentary from Alanis Obomsawin, the filmmaker returns to the village where she was raised to craft a lyrical account of her own people. After decades of tirelessly recording others' stories, she focuses this film on her own.
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In this feature-length documentary from Alanis Obomsawin, the filmmaker returns to the village where she was raised to craft a lyrical account of her own people. After decades of tirelessly recording others' stories, she focuses this film on her own.
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writerAlanis Obomsawin
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directorAlanis Obomsawin
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editorAlison Burns
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cameraPhilippe Amiguet
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camera assistantSébastien CassouDenis FortierYvan Gekoff
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location soundRaymond MarcouxIsmaël Cordeiro
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original musicFrancis Grandmont
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musicianFrancis GrandmontNormand GuilbeaultChristine MolnorClaude Vendette
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traditional songAlanis ObomsawinAmbroise Obomsawin
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infographicsLouise Overy
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voiceAnthony RobinowKeith Ravenheart
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artistGeorgette ObomsawinChristine Sioui Wawanoloath
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map designKaty Silverstone
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stills photographerAndré Gill
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etchingsAlanis Obomsawin
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sound editingDon Ayer
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technical support - editingDanielle RaymondChaz Oliver
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online editingDenis Pilon
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digital input of archival imagesJean-Marc Brosseau
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digital imaging assistantPierre LandryOchelle Greenidge
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subtitlesZoé MajorFrances Beames
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production assistantNicole BibeauFrederick WisemanWatie AkinsRodrigo BrinckhausGail NicholasMiigam'agan
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re-recordingShelley Craig
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music recordingGeoffrey MitchellSylvain Cajelais
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technician sound operation centreDaniel TrépanierSylvain Cajelais
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administrationMarie Tonto-DonatiNickie Merulla
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production administration assistantChristine Williams
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post-production coordinatorClaude CardinalLinda Payette
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producerAlanis Obomsawin
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executive producerSally Bochner
This film may be studied in conjunction with two other films by Alanis Obomsawin as a unit on Indigenous rights, assimilation and government disputes. Refer to Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Metis Child and Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Obomsawin’s films have been called “a powerful fusion of the personal and political.” Determine and discuss the common thread that ties Obomsawin’s films together. Suggest how the community’s elders might have reacted to these films, in light of how some Indigenous people were represented.
