The director Courtney Montour discusses her new NFB documentary Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again, which screens as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival, online and an in person.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

The life and activism of Mary Two-Axe Earley is the subject of a new documentary from the director Courtney Montour, who joins me now. Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again screens as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival, that begins today, Friday, 01 October 2021 (the festival runs until October 11^th). They’re screening films in person, as well as online. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information. Ms. Montour’s film, is an important look at the life of Earley, an activist who came to public life at nearly 60, and who fought against sex discrimination against First Nations women due to Canada’s Indian Act. It’s a personal conversation that Ms. Montour depicts in this film, wanting to find out more about Earley, what drove her activism and what was achieved. When Earley married a non-Indian man, she lost her Indian status. A lot of First Nations women and children encountered that, and that’s what Earley sought to change. The discrimination didn’t just come from the government, but from First Nations men as well. The film’s highlights are audio tapes of Earley speaking, recounting her story. I’ll ask Courtney about these tapes, as well as why Earley is a significant figure in our history, one who was depicted in a Google Doodle earlier this year. Courtney Montour is a Mohawk filmmaker from Kahnawake whose work explores issues of indigenous identity. She is a prolific documentary filmmaker and director and writer whose work appears regularly on television, APTN for one. Visit www.nfb.ca for more information on the film which is a National Film Board of Canada production. It plays at VIFF as part of VIFF Short Forum: Programme 1, where a number of shorts screen. That’s available for streaming as part of VIFF Connect between now and October 11^th, and there’ll be two screenings in person, at The Annex, where Courtney will be appearing, Monday, 03 October 2021 at 09.00pm, and Tuesday, 04 October 2021 at 4.00pm. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Courtney Montour; Ms. Montour, good morning.

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