November Social Justice Film
Reel Injun (2009) - Documentary/Western ‧ 1h 25m
directed by Neil Diamond
“Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond takes a look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through a century of cinema. Traveling through the heartland of America, and into the Canadian North, Diamond looks at how the myth of “the Injun” has influenced the world’s understanding — and misunderstanding — of Natives.”
- Independent Lens
Learn more about Reel Injun at https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/reel-injun/
PBS/Independent Lens Article - November 01, 2010
by 826chi In
Neil Diamond Reflects on Making Reel Injun
“The idea for Reel Injun came from questions people asked me about Native people when I first moved to the south to study. Like, did we still live in teepees and ride horses? Being a sub-arctic Cree, I couldn’t believe how naïve they were, until I realized their idea of Natives came mostly from the films they’d watched of Indians on horseback, who lived in teepees, on the plains. Then I understood: for there was a time, as a boy, when I thought that was how my ancestors had lived, too.” Read More