FINDING OUR OWN NEMO

FINDING OUR OWN NEMO!
OR, TELLING OUR OWN HISTORIES

My daughter used to ask me: What do you do for work? I’ve always said that I work in television. She would get excited and tell her friends. But they never saw me on TV! Why? she would ask, don’t we see you on TV? It took her years to understand what role I played in the production process. Now I have grandchildren who wonder the same thing. Why can’t I make movies like Finding Nemo, or as my Auntie asked, why don’t I make films like CBC’s, The People’s History? Well, I would like to. Its not as though I lack the experience; Its not as though I lack the know-how. It is certainly not for lack of trying. But the system, the gatekeepers and the public purse has made little room and provided few incentives and resources for us to make our own animations come alive, or for our histories to be told in our own way.

Ultimately, there needs to be an understanding by all parties involved of the principals and history that propel us to request and propose newer and more relevant federal programs. This is not to discredit the enlightened programming that already exists.

Here is another section of the Crossroads report that may shed light upon the questions from my children and from my aunties. Perhaps it may be a pathway for others. If we all work together it may even set a new standard for other first nations children who may one day get to chance to make their own “Finding Nemo”.
Jeff B…. July 23, 2006

BUILDING CAPACITY

Cultural rights are an integral part of human rights, which are universal, indivisible and interdependent. The flourishing of creative diversity requires the full implementation of cultural rights as defined in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in Articles 13 and 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. All persons have therefore the right to express themselves and to create and disseminate their work in the language of their choice, and particularly in their mother tongue; all persons are entitled to quality education and training that fully respect their cultural identity; and all persons have the right to participate in the cultural life of their choice and conduct their own cultural practices, subject to respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. (Article 5 of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2001)

Culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs…Culture is at the heart of contemporary debates about identity, social cohesion, and the development of a knowledge-based economy. (Adapted from the preamble to the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2001)

Into this discussion, is how the right of self-government applies to Aboriginal peoples and the control of our media. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples reminded us of the basis for Aboriginal self-government.

In Canadian history, the colonial powers won no 'rights of conquest', for there was no conquest. Nor was North America terra nullius, free for the taking, as was claimed later. Aboriginal peoples' right of self-government within Canada is acknowledged and protected by the constitution. It recognizes that Aboriginal rights are older than Canada itself and that their continuity was part of the bargain between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people that made Canada possible. (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples 1996)

It is often thought that self-government only applies to individual First Nations, Metis or Inuit governments as they seek to create self-governments for the day-to-day lives of their communities. But the intent and the spirit of self-government applies to all aspects of our lives. That is not to say that a producer is entitled to financing of a bad project because of self-government, but it does mean that we can enter into negotiations with all levels of government and the private sector about the management of our cultural resources and about our cultural rights as they apply to the development of knowledge-based economies.

To this end, and based on the consultations we held, the message we received is two-fold: that it is timely for a new national strategic direction to be adopted to build the capacity of the Aboriginal media industry; and that more importantly, this direction should be driven by Aboriginal peoples in recognition of their rights and the obligations of the our partners (agencies, broadcasters and others that have a role to play in the development of the media industry in Canada). This strategic direction should address the issue of financial resources; confidence building and audiences; strategic partnerships; industrial and commercial development and training.

DEFINING SCREEN CULTURE

Market forces alone cannot guarantee the preservation and promotion of cultural expression, which is the key to sustainable human development. Lots of money can help build an Aboriginal media industry – but if the community doesn’t support its own vision and voice and if the mainstream doesn’t support or believe in the viability and, in fact, the cultural necessity of our voice – no one will care nor watch.

Two factors we must overcome are first, systemic barriers by the mainstream industry and more confidence in our own voices to create excellence. When the Canadian government, through its agencies, signals its understanding and commitment to Aboriginal rights/cultural rights for the basis for our expression then industry and public perception will move away from seeing our work as the result of hand-outs and tokenism. As well, as we exercise management of our cultural resource, we can advocate for the appropriate tools, policies and programs that will ensure the development of cultural capacity. As stated by the International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD) “every community has the capacity to develop the individuals, the companies and the institutions, both public and private, that it needs to give itself voice through music, audiovisual productions, new media, publishing, stories and other forms of artistic expression.”

One of the systemic barriers to the full realization of our cultural expression is what is validated as an Aboriginal story and how it is told. Restrictions - whether exercised from outside the community by broadcasters or internalized by a lack of visual vocabulary – have potentially limited the diversity of cultural expression. Just as there are numerous cultural artistic aesthetics, storytelling forms and stories, as well as experiences and points of view, so should there be diversity in the types of Aboriginal programs. Our case studies of production companies provides a small glimpse of the range, innovative and diverse content that is being made by Aboriginal companies. This content includes a documentary series on Aboriginal languages; the history and role of Aboriginal peoples in mainstream music; a drama series which reflects the reality of inner-city Aboriginal youth which is produced and written by Aboriginal people with an Aboriginal cast; and a youth drama series which also delivers a real Internet newspaper for Canadian youth.

While, chronic under-funding, underdevelopment and underemployment has affected the quality as well as the quantity of our media production – we too have a responsibility to ensure we are producing work that is of the highest standard, in both craft and content. Excellence is at the core of our cultural expression with our traditional forms of expression. We must see ourselves as more than “just making television.” We must see ourselves as the inheritors of great cultural wealth – cultural wealth that must be nurtured, respected and enhanced. High standards, innovation and unique forms of expression and storytelling should inform our work and “brand” - if you like – our form of media as unique in the world.

Our case studies found that Aboriginal producers want to know what success they are having with audiences. One producer noted – “we are 2. million First Nations people in Canada and we are the fastest growing portion of the population. But we are an audience share that is not measured! How do we prove to broadcasters that we are an audience that matters? When they describe a demographic that is white, male, and 15-24 years of age, we are not found anywhere there! There has to be some kind of measurement for the Aboriginal community. Neilsen ratings cannot possibly represent our audience. Networks should do more to promote the show. The audience is out there.

Strategic Partnerships

Capacity Building is building strategic partnerships —within the Aboriginal community and beyond. The media industry is like all industries – it thrives on knowledge, information and relationships.

Currently, there are a number of government agencies that deliver financing and other programs to help build the Canadian media industry. Included are programs broadcasters rely on licensing independent productions to fulfill CRTC requirements, attract audiences and program their schedules. All these entities require fair exchange of information to alert the industry – from producers, directors and writers to distributors, suppliers and markets – about what is new and changing in the Canadian and international media industry.

Information sharing is therefore critical. The industry has responded by creating its own networks and systems of communications. A fair exchange of information between colleagues has enabled the Canadian media industry to strengthen and grow. The CTFPA, for instance, keeps its members informed through e-mail alerts, newsletters and their regular reports, such as their annual economic report on the Canadian film and television industry. Other organizations, such as DOCS, WIFT, DGC, NSI and the Independent Media Arts Alliance, keep their memberships up-to-date on the latest comings and goings of the rapidly changing industry. These organizations also promote the achievements of their membership and enable networking—building strategic partnerships.

While the Aboriginal community has begun in this exchange of information, it is so far limited to workshops and small festivals, as opposed to on-going exchange. We are often out-of-the-loop when it comes to changes and developments that affect the industry. Without information, our capacity to stimulate innovation and generate revenue and ultimately to create and sustain an Aboriginal media industry is limited.

Opening up the media, making it more transparent and assessable is essential for the creation of community and reinforcing participation. Strengthening cooperation between stakeholders helps to develop the community and industry and to improve service delivery. As well, it is important that we link with our colleagues in the Non- Aboriginal industry, to create balanced co-production relationships and to deliver better programming. It is also critical that we keep in regular contact with our communities, to ensure our production is meeting their needs.

Industrial and Commercial Development

We need everything, from studios, to post-production houses, to cameras, to costumes – everything that is needed for film or television to get made. And we need it tomorrow. And we need it accessible across the country, in the many regions where we live, urban, rural and remote.

Most Aboriginal producers and directors are only now entering the economic growth stage of their careers, which is of course driving the development of Aboriginal media industry. Licenses to produce programming for APTN began in 1999. Prior to that, most of us were working to promote cultural and artistic expression, working for Native communications societies or working within the mainstream industry. It is safe to say, that most producers today, regardless of the number of years working, are only at the very beginnings of the development of their industrial capacity. In fact, it is fair to say all Native producers are emerging producers and directors, within the context of building industrial and commercial capacity.

A quick review of the case studies shows that most Aboriginal production companies are going from project to project without being able to accumulate enough capital to invest in significant infrastructure. The few that have are often in a region where access to capital is greater or who have partnered with non-Native companies that bring capital and infrastructure projects.

There is inequity in the building of infrastructure – non-Aboriginal producers have been part of the industry longer and have benefited from a Canadian government industrial model that has promoted the growth of smaller companies moving up the ladder to become mid-size entities. As well, many have been able to translate long term employment and networking in the industry into capital.

As such, we are trying to compete on an uneven playing field. In order to help build our industry, it makes sense to develop capitalization and market programs. These may be one-time offerings, with emphasis on an overall regional stabilization strategy combined with projections for long-term growth. We recommend that discussions begin with the appropriate government agencies as well as potential private sector partners.
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