Mohawk Filmmaker Wins 2021 Best Picture at Canadian Screen Awards
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Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Deer took home one of the top awards at Thursday night’s Canadian Screen Awards.
Deer, from Kahnawà: ke, Que., Nominated his film Beans for several awards before Thursday night and ended the night with arguably best of all, the award for best picture of 2021.
Deer also left with John Dunning’s Best First Feature, for her work on Beans, a coming-of-age tale of a young Mohawk girl during the Oka Crisis.
The girl, Beans, was played by Akwesaronon Kiawenti: io Tarbell, and depicts events in Deer’s life during the 1990 Crisis in Kanesatake, near Montreal. The 78-day standoff between Mohawk protesters, police and military came after private developers pushed to expand a golf course and build townhouses on a Mohawk cemetery.
The film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last year and premiered at the New York International Children’s Film Festival last March.
The film was also nominated for Cinematography, Casting, and Sound Mixing, and was a finalist for the People’s Choice Award last year. Tarbell won an Achievement Award from the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne for his work in Beans and other television shows.
The film currently has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 27 reviews.
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