Rocks at Whiskey Trench
Stories of resistance, strength and perseverance are laid bare in this examination of a dark day in Canadian history. At the height of tensions at Oka, Quebec, in 1990, Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) women, children and Elders fled their community of Kahnawake out of fear for their safety. Once past the Canadian Army that surrounded their home, they were assaulted by angry non-Indigenous protesters who pelted their convoy with rocks. This visceral display of hatred and violence – rarely seen so publicly in Canada – shocked the nation and revealed the severity of the dangers that faced the Kanien’kehá:ka in their struggle to defend a sacred site.
This film is the fourth in Alanis Obomsawin’s landmark series on the Mohawk resistance at Oka that would become a pivot point in contemporary relationships between Indigenous nations and Canada.
This doc profiles a key element of the 1990 Oka crisis in which the Mohawk communities of Kahnawake and Kanehsatake stood against the Canadian military and Canadian citizens in a stand-off that turned violent.
Alanis Obomsawin
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Rocks at Whiskey Trench, Alanis Obomsawin, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
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writerAlanis Obomsawin
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directorAlanis Obomsawin
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narratorAlanis Obomsawin
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editorYurij Luhovy
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original music composerClaude VendetteFrancis Grandmont
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cameraRoger RochatRené Sioui LabellePhilippe Amiguet
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location soundRaymond MarcouxIsmaël CordeiroYves St-Jean
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musicianClaude VendetteFrancis GrandmontNormand GuilbeaultPierre Tanguay
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songMargaret Beauvais Jocks
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assistant cameraMichel BissonnetteYoan CartFrançois Paille
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gafferÉloi Deraspe
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sound editorDon AyerTony Reed
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assistant editorSharon King
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photo animationMeilan Lam
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production assistantWillma Lahache
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sound technicianBiagio Pagano
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voice recordingGeoffrey Mitchell
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voiceGuy Nadon
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drawingsRobert VerrallSusan PhillipsConway Jocks
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researchDenise Beaugrand-ChampagneAlanis Obomsawin
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animation cameraPierre LandryThea Pratt
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post-production coordinationClaude CardinalLinda Payette
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music recordingGeoffrey Mitchell
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music recording - assistanceSylvain Cajelais
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re-recording mixerJean Paul Vialard
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titlesGaspard Gaudreau
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production administration assistantAndrée Lachapelle
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administrative assistantTheodora Kolovos
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program administratorMarie Tonto-DonatiNickie Merulla
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producerAlanis Obomsawin
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executive producerSally Bochner
