Contemporary Indigenous Cinema

Representations of indigenous people (i.e. population groups that were subjugated and marginalized in processes of colonization and settlement and turned into minorities in lands they had inhabited for centuries or millenia) have a long history in literature and other media reaching back to the very beginnings of colonial encroachment. For much of this time, indigenous cultures and societies were represented by those who colonized them, and even today, there is a legacy of colonialist and racist signification practices that makes its presence felt in contemporary culture. At the same time, indigenous writers and artists have voiced indigenous concerns and disseminated indigenous perspectives for many decades, so that there is now a rich and diverse history of indigenous literature, art, theatre – and cinema. This seminar will look at the work of indigenous film makers from Canada, Australia and New Zealand and will explore the diversity of indigenous film making. We will discuss the politics of indigenous cinema and analyse very different aesthetic modes of “doing indigenous film”, ranging from avantgarde styles employing oral modes of narration to social drama and comedy.