When did you become aware that CBC was cancelling Trickster? I am a non-status Algonquin, Métis and French-Canadian person, so if it said only that status native people are allowed to apply, I wouldn’t have applied. All I can say is that I never misrepresented who I was. The story quickly rippled across the country’s film and television industry. . In 2004, she had two guest appearances on the low budget Canadian series Train 48. Michelle Latimer Is Telling Inconvenient Indigenous Stories at TIFF 2020 . [22], Trickster premiered on CBC Television on October 7, 2020. I had a wonderful conversation early in this process with Nick, who said, “It’s okay to be searching, to be reconnecting.” I’ve come across my own family members who are kin, Annie Smith St. Georges (see footnote #2) being one. Filmmaker Michelle Latimer, shown last August, declined interview requests about the controversy over her ancestry when it originally broke in December. Like Paradise Falls, the play also had some controversy for its open depiction of sexuality. In January 2021, it was reported that Latimer served CBC with a notice of libel,[39] claiming to "have grave concerns about the fairness and accuracy" of the CBC's reporting on her ancestry. [32], Latimer also works as a film curator; she is a programmer for the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, the Hot Docs Film Festival and is a programming advisor for Winnipeg Film Group’s Cinematheque and the Regent Park Film Festival. She initially rose to prominence for her role as Trish Simkin on the television series Paradise Falls, shown nationally in Canada on Showcase Television (2001–2004). What I’ve come to understand more in this process is that a lot of non-status and Métis people, that’s their reality. [35], In her emailed responses, Latimer said her claim rested on the oral history of her maternal grandfather who talked about being Indigenous and sometimes used the term Métis. This past December, the Canadian filmmaker became the centre of an explosive debate about identity, representation, diversity and opportunity. "The Michelle Latimer story isn’t just about her claiming Indigenous ancestry. We are currently progressing in this process, which will include the NFB Indigenous Advisory Committee before a final decision is made.”). [24][25][26] The series centres on Jared, an Indigenous Haisla teenager and small-time drug dealer in Kitimat, British Columbia, who becomes increasingly aware of the magical events that seem to follow him. [10], After Paradise Falls, she returned to the stage, starring in Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, written by Brad Fraser. How does this report answer that? Through most of 2020, Michelle Latimer was the hottest Indigenous filmmaker in Canada. When I say that I grew up in Thunder Bay, people assume I’m from Fort William First Nation. And that is accurate to my experience. Michelle Latimer, 2012 (Photo credit–Alan Langford) ... (“Award-winning filmmaker Michelle Latimer's Indigenous identity under scrutiny”). After five months of silence, Michelle Latimer is ready to talk. The stories I heard from [my grandfather] were always “Maniwaki, Maniwaki, Maniwaki.” So I was primed to be specific about a geographical area that specified my heritage. Michelle Latimer, director and co-creator of the Canadian television series “Trickster,” announced in a Facebook post on Monday that she is resigning from the show's upcoming second season after a CBC News investigation last week called into question her Indigenous identity. Inconvenient Indian is about identity. Dominique Ritchot, a genealogist and researcher with an expertise in French-Canadian families, claimed that most of Latimer's ancestors were easily identifiable as French Canadian, Irish and Scottish, except for two Indigenous ancestors dating from 1644. [3][4] While accepting the award, Latimer delivered what was described by CBC News as "one of the night's most passionate speeches", in which she celebrated Indigenous resistance at Standing Rock. But at that point, I identified who I am and I was eligible. Late last year, Michelle Latimer, the co-creator and director of the Canadian supernatural drama Trickster — a series that centered an Indigenous teenager and was acquired by, and recently aired on, The CW — confirmed that she did not have the Indigenous heritage she … It was communicated to me that they’re having some kind of circle, whether a talking circle or a restorative justice circle, to determine that. Will I be a stranger, especially because I didn’t grow up in that community?” But then there’s the beautiful side of it – the people who have reached out and helped me. Thomas has been a great support because he understands the nuance of issues. Do you know whether that will ever happen? Welcome to My Story, our weekly series championing creatives of colour and their paths to success. I tell Indigenous stories because that feels true to my experience, and it’s what I love to do. [5] For Now and The Georgia Straight, Radheyan Simonpillai praised the film. Why did you decide to talk with me at The Globe, instead of Jorge Barrera and Ka’nhehsi:io Deer at the CBC? To be clear: I had no reasons to question what I understood to be true of my grandfather’s heritage, what he told me growing up. And second of all, when you go into an interview [as a documentarian], you’re giving of yourself. ‘All I can do is speak my truth’: Filmmaker Michelle Latimer breaks her silence after Indigenous ancestry controversy . Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. In 2014, her short film The Underground won the Best Short Film Award at ImagineNATIVE, though Ms. Latimer notes that the project’s production team included three Indigenous producers and was “therefore eligible to receive the prize beyond my affiliation as director.” In 2018, Telefilm invested $3-million-plus in four Indigenous feature films, including Ms. Latimer’s drama Forgotten, which has yet to be produced. In your two decades in the Indigenous arts sector, did you not ever take the time to investigate your family lore and history? Why was it added? Click here to subscribe. You have to be validated by the community.” Have you spoken with and been validated by members of Kitigan Zibi? That takes time, especially in a thoughtful way. TIFF: Michelle Latimer's award-winning documentary turns Thomas King's 2012 book into a hypnotic portrait of Canadian indigenous culture. I have spoken with members of the Kitigan Zibi community. In the time since, Ms. Latimer commissioned a genealogical investigation from Sébastien Malette, an associate professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University, and Siomonn Pulla, an associate professor in the College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Royal Roads University. Ms. Latimer says she's commissioned a genealogical investigation whose preliminary findings confirmed she has Indigenous ancestry. [28] In its December 2020 year in review, the Canadian film and television industry magazine Playback named Trickster the Scripted Series of the Year. It’s not a one-sided conversation. You didn’t receive a single CSA nomination, and it wasn’t nominated for Best Drama Series. In 2019, the NFB announced that it hit its target of allocating at least 15 per cent (around $2-million) of its production spending to Indigenous-led projects, and included Inconvenient Indian in its 40-project slate. TORONTO -- Canadian filmmaker Michelle Latimer says she made a mistake in naming the First Nations community of Kitigan Zibi as part of her ancestry without formally verifying it. [40] Latimer elaborated that the CBC "created a false narrative about my character and my lineage. I never intended to mislead anyone who I worked with. T he 2020 Toronto International Film Festival was the year of Michelle Latimer, the only filmmaker boasting two works in the lineup: a documentary, Inconvenient Indian, and the first two episodes of her narrative TV series Trickster. People wonder how former Trickster director Michelle Latimer, whose identity has recently come under scrutiny, could claim to be Indigenous for so long without skepticism. [6], Latimer was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. [3], In 2020, she was announced as the creator, writer, and director of the drama series Trickster. 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