LATEST WORKS
BONES OF CROWS I FEATURE DRAMA & FIVE-PART SERIES
Bones of Crows is a multi-generational epic and story of resilience told through the eyes of Cree Matriarch Aline Spears (played throughout her life by Summer Testawich; Grace Dove, Monkey Beach; and Carla Rae, Rutherford Falls). Removed from their family home and forced into Canada’s residential school system, young musical prodigy Aline and her siblings are plunged into a struggle for survival. Over the next hundred years, Aline and her descendants fight against systemic starvation, racism and sexual abuse—and to build a more just future.
Bones of Crows is the first Indigenous and female-led produced, written, and directed scripted mini-series and feature film about the residential school experience in North America. Bones of Crows features over 60 cast members that represent five generations of Indigenous performers and over 50 Indigenous crew behind the scenes. Some of Canada’s most outstanding Indigenous and non-Indigenous talent came together to tell a story that represents not only our country’s history, but our shared history. Feature length: 108 mins. Writer/Director/Producer.
RED SNOW I FEATURE DRAMA
Dylan, a Gwich'in soldier from the Canadian Arctic, is caught in an ambush in Kandahar, Afghanistan. His capture and interrogation by a Taliban Commander releases a cache of memories connected to the love and death of his Inuit cousin, Asana, and binds him closer to a Pashtun family as they escape across treacherous landscapes and through a blizzard that becomes their key to survival. In Production with CBC Breaking Barriers, CMF, Telefilm, APTN, Creative BC, Harold Greenburg Fund, Super Channel. Produced by Zhoh Daatsik Pictures, MCM, Principia Productions and Lily Pix. Feature Length. 1:40. Writer/Producer/Director
THE ROAD FORWARD I DOCUMENTARY
The Road Forward, a musical documentary by Marie Clements, connects a pivotal moment in Canada’s civil rights history—the beginnings of Indian Nationalism in the 1930s—with the powerful momentum of First Nations activism today. The Road Forward’s stunningly shot musical sequences, performed by an ensemble of some of Canada’s finest vocalists and musicians, seamlessly connect past and present with soaring vocals, blues, rock, and traditional beats. A rousing tribute to the fighters for First Nations rights, a soul-resounding historical experience, and a visceral call to action.
LAY DOWN YOUR HEART I DOCUMENTARY
An accomplished artist, a lifelong performer and a person with Down syndrome, Niall McNeil has built a unique family tree of blood and chosen relations made up of his closest friends and collaborators. In Lay Down Your Heart, Niall introduces his “family members,” his multiple “children” (some twice his age!), his renowned “ex-wife” and director of the film Marie Clements, and more. Bonded together by shared creative passion and their relationships with Niall, his family includes some of Canada’s most outstanding theatrical and artistic talent. By exploring his unconventional family histories—sometimes factual, sometimes infused with fantasy, but always deeply felt—Niall’s limitless imagination drives him toward the heart of human connection. NFB Canada Production. Documentary length: 70 mins. Writer/Director.
PAST PRODUCTIONS
LOOKING AT EDWARD CURTIS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
I HALF HOUR DOC | 16 SHORT DOCS
In “Looking at Edward Curtis”, Canadian Métis/Dene filmmaker Marie Clements navigates the controversies surrounding American photographer Edward Curtis by looking at his work in the Pacific Northwest through the “North American Indian”, a twenty- volume publication that represents his effort to document “the vanishing Indian”. The film layers some of Curtis’ striking images with interviews with contemporary Indigenous people, many with direct links to Curtis’ work through their own families, sharing reflections to Curtis’ work from a people who did not vanish. Supported by CMF and Creative BC. Produced by MCM and Knowledge Network. Broadcast on Knowledge Network August 2018. Length 1 x 23:00, and 16 x 3:00. Writer/Producer/Director
NUMBER 14 I DOCU DRAMA
Produced by MCM in association with May Street Productions. #14 is inspired by the life of Jordan Wilson (Gitxsan and Coast Salish decent), a young hockey hopeful who died in a tragic car crash on October 4th, 2009, abruptly ending his life-long dream of becoming a professional hockey player. Through the eyes of 17-year-old Jordan Wilson, the audience must navigate the world of Canada’s beloved sport and the after-hour power plays of teenagers everywhere. Number 14 premiered at The American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco winning an award for Best Public Service Film and Audience Choice Award at The Reel Reservations Film Festival 2016. Currently in a screening tour with ICBC. Mid-length. 60 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer
PILGRIMS I SHORT DRAMA
Produced by Tabula Dada Productions., Trust West Films, Working Pajama Lab Entertainment (MCM). Bored and rejected from his own life middle aged German Robbe Weiss journey’s to the wilds of the West Coast in a last ditch effort to find salvation amongst “the Savage Indians” –a pilgrimage into this sacred can really hurt a guy. For Bravofact. Selected to screen at The Cannes Film Festival as a part of Telefilm’s Not Short On Talent 2013 and screened at over ten film festivals including its World Premiere at The Toronto Film Festival 2013. Length: 7 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer
THE ROAD FORWARD
I MUSIC VIDEO
Produced by Frog Girl Films. Invited to premiere at The ImagineNative Film Festival, Toronto, Winnipeg Aboriginal Festival, Southastern Film Festival, American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco, Saskatoon Film Festival, Powell River Film Festival, Cowichin Film Festival, Anchorage Film Festival, Weesagchuck Festival in Toronto, Women in Film Festival in Vancouver, ReelWorld Festival in Toronto, Dreamspeakers Festival in Edmonton, Kenora Film Festival, Indianer Inuit Das Nordamerika Film Festival Stuggart Germany. 2010-11. Length: 10 minutes. Writer/Producer/Director
BALLAD NOT BULLETS I SHORT DOC
Prooduced by National Film Board. Based on activist and performer Tom Jackson came to use his gift of song to contribute millions of dollars to the fight against poverty and homelessness. Produced by the NFB in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Length: 7 minutes. Writer/Director
THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE I SHORT DOC
Produced by Frog Girl Films (MCM).The Language of Love is a ten minute documentary featuring writer/actor/activist Stephen Lytton's raw and poetic articulation of the fourteen years he endured in the residential school system- a child's survival redefines itself as the artful embodiment of a man. Selected to screen at over twelve film festivals including Hot Docs International Film Festival, Berlinale International Film Festival, and screened as a part of ImagineNATIVE Presents: Canadian Indigenous Shorts” on Air Canada 2013. Length: 10 minutes. Writer/Producer/Director