Masterclass: Indigenous identity and films
- 2 pm
Office national du film du Canada
Masterclass with Courtney Montour : Indigenous identity and films
Courtney Montour has made the transition from social work to film, which was the focus of her studies at McGill.
With films that are closely tied to her Mohawk community, she explores different facets of Aboriginal identity. Portrait of Mary Two-Axe Early (
I Am Indian Again), history of the Kahnawake community (
Flat Rocks), participation in documentary series on Aboriginal subjects (
Mohawk Ironworkers;
Skinindigenous). Making films for her is combined with her commitment to the Aboriginal cause.
Register here
About Courtney
Courtney Montour is Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) from Kahnawake. She works in the documentary film and digital media fields exploring issues of Indigenous identity. She directed, wrote and co-produced Flat Rocks (2017), a short documentary revealing how the development of Canada’s St. Lawrence Seaway forever changed the landscape and the livelihood of the Kahnawake Mohawk community. Her first documentary
Sex Spirit Strength won Best of Festival and the Emerging Filmmaker award at the 2016 Yorkton Film Festival. She has directed episodes for several documentary series including
Mohawk Ironworkers (2016) and
Skindigenous (2021). Courtney co-created and coordinated McGill University’s Indigenous Field Studies course, held in Kahnawake, for 8 years. Passionate about educating, the course surfaces the intergenerational effects of colonization and Canadian policies on contemporary Indigenous society.
