''The Road Forward'' is a 2017 musical documentary film written and directed by Marie Clements about key moments in the history of Indigenous rights in Canada, from the 1930s to today. The film was produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Clements has stated that the idea for the project came from browsing years of headlines in ''Native Voice'', an Indigenous newspaper from British Columbia that she first heard of while doing research for the 2010 Cultural Olympics, during the Vancouver Olympics. Inspired by the headlines and stories, she began writing lyrics. She then worked with friends who were composers, to set music to her lyrics. In the film, members of the Native Brotherhood and Native Sisterhood discuss the beginnings of their organizations, in 1931 and 1933 respectively, and how ''Native Voice'' had helped unite

First Nations in British Columbia First Nations in British Columbia constitute many First Nations governments and peoples in the province of British Columbia. Many of these Indigenous Canadians are affiliated in tribal councils. Ethnic groups include the Haida, Coast Salish, Kw ...

. ''The Road Forward'' was initially presented as a musical theatre show in 2015, at Vancouver's Touchstone Theatre. The film features such Indigenous actors and musicians as Murray Porter,

Michelle St. John Michelle St. John (born August 26, 1967) is a Canadians, Canadian actress, singer, producer and director who has been involved in creative projects in theatre, film, television and music since the 1980s. Her directorial debut, ''Colonization Road ...

, Cheri Maracle and Evan Adams, as well as songwriter Wayne Lavallee, actor and singer Cheri Maracle, hip-hop artist Ronnie Dean Harris, and

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

fiddler Jeremy James Lavallee.

Release

The film premiered on April 30, 2017 at the

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary 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 June ...

in Toronto. It subsequently opened the

DOXA Documentary Film Festival The DOXA Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is held annually held for 10 days in May, and is presented by The Documentary Media Society, a non-profit organization. The festiva ...

in Vancouver on May 4.

References

External links

* * 2017 films Documentary films about First Nations National Film Board of Canada documentaries Documentary films about Indigenous rights in Canada First Nations history in British Columbia Films shot in British Columbia Films set in British Columbia Films based on musicals Films directed by Marie Clements 2010s Canadian films {{FirstNations-stub