Another NFB Film to Watch
It’s called “Two Worlds Colliding”, it’s by a Canadian lady who’s attending the University of Calgary right now, and it’s powerful, moving, and informative. I watched this film in class today, and the filmmaker was present in class to talk about the film afterwards and do a little Q & A.
The most impressive thing about the lady who made the film was that she right off said that documentaries are not objective forms of film. I learned this some time ago, but I was so glad to hear a filmmaker reminding us of that fact. She also volunteered to talk to anyone about their thoughts about the film through email, and I thought that was so great.
Anyway, the film concerns an incident, or rather, a series of incidents, in Saskatoon. Local cops drove some Native guys out to the edge of town in the middle of winter and a few of these guys died from it. There were inquiries, firings, and denials, but largely the conflict between the cops and the Native guys seems unresolved. Suprisingly, the film puts a super light on most of the cops, calling them simply ignorant of the issue. And there is a new police chief in Saskatoon since about 2002 who has made great strides in improving relations between the cops and the First Nations community in Saskatoon.
I’d read about this issue in a book called “Starlight Tours” and I’d recommend that book highly as well. It’s not a local issue to Saskatoon, and it deals with wider issues of racism, ignorance, and authority as well.