CMU 2008 International Film Festival

The Canary Effect  (2007)

documentary

USA

Robin Davey and Yellow Thunder Woman, dirs. NR 63 mins.

Friday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m
and
Saturday, March 29 at 5:30 p.m

The Broadway Theatre
(downtown Mount Pleasant)

This is one of the most succinct and moving statements ever made on film about the genocide of Native Americans.  Beginning with the voyages of Columbus and continuing to the present, the film goes beyond just a sympathetic portrayal of the history of native peoples. It poses profound questions about the present and future and explores definitions of genocide as applied to the experience of Native Americans in the United States. The Canary Effect features interviews with Ward Churchill, James Abourezk and Charles Abourezk, among others.  It is not a polemic or a strident diatribe, but a calm and rational presentation.