Michelle Latimer is a Canadian actress, director, writer, and

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

. She initially rose to prominence for her role as Trish Simkin on the television series ''

Paradise Falls ''Paradise Falls'' is a weekly soap opera television series which aired nationally on the Showcase channel in Canada, starting in 2001. It was filmed in the summer cottage community of Muskoka, Ontario. Like many major soap operas, sex is a do ...

'', shown nationally in Canada on Showcase Television (2001–2004). Since the early 2010s, she has directed several documentaries, including her feature film

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

, ''

Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

'' (2013), and the

Viceland Viceland (stylized in all caps), and Vice TV in the United States, are brands used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland launched on February 29, 2016, with two branded cable channels; the American version (rebra ...

series, ''

Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...

'', which focuses on the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests; the latter won a

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series ...

at the 6th annual ceremony in 2018. Latimer's 2020 film '' Inconvenient Indian'' won the People's Choice Award for Documentaries and the award for Best Canadian Film at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

.Etan Vlessing
"Toronto: Chloe Zhao's 'Nomadland' Wins Audience Award"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'', September 20, 2020. She is also the co-creator, writer, and director of the CBC Television series ''

Trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story ( god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...

''.

Early life

Latimer was born and raised in

Thunder Bay, Ontario Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

. Latimer later studied theatre at Concordia University in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, Quebec.

Career

Latimer initially garnered recognition for portraying

goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

teen Trish Simpkin in ''

''. Aside from ''Paradise Falls'', Latimer has had limited roles in other television productions. In 2004, she had two guest appearances on the low budget Canadian series ''

Train 48 ''Train 48'' was a Canadian improvised soap opera, broadcast on Global Television Network and CH from 2003 until 2005. ''Train 48'' was based on the format of an Australian television program called '' Going Home''. History The show was broadc ...

''. She also had a minor appearance in the 2004 film '' Resident Evil: Apocalypse''. After ''Paradise Falls'', she returned to the stage, starring in ''

Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love ''Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love'' is a 1989 stage play written by Canadian playwright Brad Fraser. Set in Edmonton, Alberta, the comedy-drama follows the lives of several sexually frustrated "thirty-somethings" who try ...

'', written by

Brad Fraser Brad Fraser (born June 28, 1959 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian playwright, screenwriter and cultural commentator.Gaetan Charlebois and Anne Nothof"Fraser, Brad" ''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', June 2, 2019. He is one of the most widely pr ...

. She performed the play in 2004 at Crow's Theatre in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

and she played Benita, a psychic prostitute. Like ''Paradise Falls'', the play also had some controversy for its open depiction of sexuality. Latimer later produced and directed an animated film titled '' Choke'', which was funded by bravoFACT and screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was one of five animated shorts nominated for a Genie Award in 2011. Since the early 2010s, Latimer has dedicated her time to

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

making. In 2013, she made her feature film

'', which "follows aspiring rappers trying to escape the gangster life." The film received positive reviews, was nominated for several awards, including for a

, and screened at the

Hot Docs Film Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and Jun ...

. Also in 2013, she was chosen as one of '' Playback'''s "10 To Watch". Latimer's

documentary series, titled ''

'', which focuses on the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests, premiered at the Special Events section of the

2017 Sundance Film Festival The 2017 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 to January 29, 2017. The first lineup of competition films was announced November 30, 2016. Awards The following awards were presented: * Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic – ''I Don't Feel at ...

. The series won a

at the 6th annual ceremony in 2018. While accepting the award, Latimer delivered what was described by

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca ...

as "one of the night's most passionate speeches", in which she celebrated Indigenous resistance at

Standing Rock The Standing Rock Reservation ( lkt, Íŋyaŋ Woslál Háŋ) lies across the border between North Dakota, North and South Dakota in the United States, and is inhabited by ethnic "Hunkpapa Lakota, Hunkpapa and Sihasapa bands of Lakota Oyate a ...

. In 2020, she was announced as the creator, writer, and director of the drama series ''

''.Jane van Koeverden
"Cast revealed for CBC's upcoming series, The Trickster"

CBC Books CBC Arts (french: Radio-Canada Arts) is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's div ...

, September 18, 2019. In advance of the television premiere, two episodes of the series was screened in the Primetime program at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, and at the

Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, also known as Cinéfest and Cinéfest Sudbury is an annual film festival in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada,"Cinefest provides cultural landmark". ''Sudbury Star'', September 16, 1999. held over nine ...

in Sudbury. ''Trickster'' premiered on CBC Television on October 7, 2020. She adapted the series from

Eden Robinson Eden Victoria Lena Robinson (born 19 January 1968) is an Indigenous Canadian author. She is a member of the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations.Son of a Trickster''. The series centres on Jared, an Indigenous Haisla teenager and small-time drug dealer in

Kitimat Kitimat is a district municipality in the North Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine regional government. The Kitimat Valley is part of the most populous urban distr ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, who becomes increasingly aware of the magical events that seem to follow him. The series was renewed for a second season prior to the first season's premiere; the second season is expected to be based on ''Trickster Drift'', the second novel in Robinson's trilogy.

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

acquired the U.S. broadcast rights for the series, which premiered in the country on January 12, 2021. In its December 2020 year in review, the Canadian film and television industry magazine '' Playback'' named ''Trickster'' the Scripted Series of the Year. Latimer's documentary film, '' Inconvenient Indian'', also premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Adapted from Thomas King's non-fiction book '' The Inconvenient Indian'', the film presents a history of the indigenous peoples in Canada. The film blends scenes in which King, filmed in a taxi cab being driven by actress Gail Maurice in character as an indigenous

trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story ( god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...

, narrates portions of his own book, blended with video clips of historical representation of indigenous peoples as well as segments profiling modern figures, such as

Kent Monkman Kent Monkman (born 13 November 1965) is a Canadian First Nations artist of Cree ancestry. He is a member of the Fisher River band situated in Manitoba's Interlake Region. He is both a visual as well as performance artist, working in a variety ...

Christi Belcourt Christi Marlene Belcourt (born September 24, 1966) is a Métis visual artist and author living and working in Canada. She is best known for her acrylic paintings which depict floral patterns inspired by Métis and First Nations historical beadwo ...

, A Tribe Called Red,

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (born May 9, 1978) is an Inuk filmmaker, known for her work on Inuit life and culture. She is the owner of Unikkaat Studios, a production company in Iqaluit, which produces Inuktitut films. She was awarded the Canadian ...

and Nyla Innuksuk, who are reshaping the narrative with their contemporary work in art, music, literature and film.Radheyan Simonpillai
"VIFF review: Inconvenient Indian is made with love"
''

The Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

'', September 15, 2020. At the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, ''Inconvenient Indian'' won the People's Choice Award for Documentaries and the award for Best Canadian Film. For ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' and ''

'', Radheyan Simonpillai praised the film. The film was named to TIFF's year-end

Canada's Top Ten Canada's Top Ten is an annual honour, compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival and announced in December each year to identify and promote the year's best Canadian films."Canada's Top Ten awards will honour excellence in Canadian cinema" ...

list for feature films.

Other work

Latimer also works as a film curator; she is a programmer for the

ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world's largest Indigenous film and media arts festival, held annually in Toronto in the month of October. The festival focuses on the film, video, radio, and new media work of Indigenous, Abori ...

, the Hot Docs Film Festival and is a programming advisor for Winnipeg Film Group’s Cinematheque and the Regent Park Film Festival.

Indigenous identity controversy

Through much of her career Latimer identified as having

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

and Métis heritage, based on a family oral history of indigenous ancestry in the province of Quebec. In interviews, Latimer has said that her father is French-Canadian and that her mother is Algonquin and Métis.Barry Hertz
"‘I made a mistake’: Canadian filmmaker Michelle Latimer addresses Indigenous ancestry questions"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', December 17, 2020. In a September 2020 interview about her current film and TV projects, she stated that her mother had a complicated relationship with her mixed race identity. In December 2020, her indigenous identity came into question after a National Film Board (NFB) press release announcing the release of her film '' Inconvenient Indian'' stated a connection to the community of Kitigan Zibi in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, which the community denied.Ka’nhehsí:io Deer and Jorge Barrera
"Award-winning filmmaker Michelle Latimer's Indigenous identity under scrutiny"

Indigenous, December 17, 2020. Latimer subsequently apologized for having claimed historical roots to the Kitigan Zibi community before fully verifying them, and resigned from the production of her television series ''

'', after the husband and wife producing team of Tony Elliott and

Danis Goulet Danis Goulet (born 1977) is a Cree-Métis film director and screenwriter from Canada,Chris Knight"Danis Goulet's film a first for New Zealand-Canada Indigenous co-operation" ''National Post'', June 26, 2020. whose debut feature film '' Night Raide ...

resigned from the show, citing the questions and criticism about Latimer’s ethnic identity as their reason.Ka’nhehsí:io Deer, Jorge Barrera
"Trickster producers resign amid Michelle Latimer Indigenous identity questions"

Indigenous, December 18, 2020. Latimer's documentary film ''Inconvenient Indian'' was also withdrawn from the

2021 Sundance Film Festival The 2021 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 28 to February 3, 2021. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 15, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Utah, the festival combined in-person screenings at the Ray ...

, all other film festivals, and from distribution, by the NFB until further notice. In responding to journalists, Latimer said her identification as Indigenous rested on the oral history of her maternal grandfather who talked about being Indigenous and sometimes used the term "Métis". She said: "I never had reason to question what my family had told me. I’d again say that going back to identity is complex... Identity is not just about ancestral connection. It is about our values and our worldview and how those are incorporated. I grew up in the North, I grew up with those teachings. And that, for me, is what makes me Indigenous." Census records reviewed by CBC News suggest that Latimer's grandfather was French-Canadian. However, Dominique Ritchot, a genealogist and researcher with an expertise in French-Canadian families, claimed that Latimer had two Indigenous ancestors dating from 1644, while most of her other ancestors were identifiable as French Canadian, Irish and Scottish. Later, Sébastien Malette, an associate professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

, and Siomonn Pulla, an associate professor in the College of Interdisciplinary Studies at

Royal Roads University Royal Roads University (also referred to as RRU or Royal Roads) is a public university with its main campus in Colwood, British Columbia. It is located at Hatley Park National Historic Site on Vancouver Island. Following the decommissioning of R ...

produced a joint genealogical report which found that Latimer has Indigenous ancestry from both her paternal and maternal lines that originated from a "historical community of Baskatong that was known for its Algonquin and Métis population." In January 2021, it was reported that Latimer served CBC with a notice of libel, claiming to "have grave concerns about the fairness and accuracy" of the CBC's reporting on her ancestry. Latimer elaborated that the CBC "created a false narrative about my character and my lineage." She maintains:"The CBC article painted a picture of someone who is misrepresenting themselves as a fake and a liar. All I can say is that I never misrepresented who I was. I never intended to mislead anyone who I worked with. I tell Indigenous stories because that feels true to my experience, and it’s what I love to do. The fact that I’ve been painted as someone who has been profiting for my own gain feels so unfair and misguided." Latimer was later acknowledged as a relative of an Algonquin Elder from Kitigan Zibi, Annie Smith St. Georges, (known for her work with the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one of a number of ...

) who posted on Facebook that Latimer was "the grand niece of my grandpa and grandma, who were originally from Mishomis Baskatong."

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Latimer, Michelle Living people 2020 controversies Actresses from Ontario Canadian animated film directors Canadian people of German descent Canadian soap opera actresses Canadian stage actresses Canadian television actresses Concordia University alumni People from Thunder Bay Canadian women animators Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian documentary film directors Canadian women film directors Canadian television directors Canadian women television directors Canadian women documentary filmmakers