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Trick or Treaty?

Covering a vast swath of northern Ontario, Treaty No. 9 reflects the often contradictory interpretations of treaties between First Nations and the Crown. To the Canadian government, this treaty represents a surrendering of Indigenous sovereignty, while the descendants of the Cree signatories contend its original purpose to share the land and its resources has been misunderstood and not upheld. Enlightening as it is entertaining, Trick or Treaty? succinctly and powerfully portrays one community’s attempts to enforce their treaty rights and protect their lands, while also revealing the complexities of contemporary treaty agreements. Trick or Treaty? made history as the first …

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Covering a vast swath of northern Ontario, Treaty No. 9 reflects the often contradictory interpretations of treaties between First Nations and the Crown. To the Canadian government, this treaty represents a surrendering of Indigenous sovereignty, while the descendants of the Cree signatories contend its original purpose to share the land and its resources has been misunderstood and not upheld. Enlightening as it is entertaining, Trick or Treaty? succinctly and powerfully portrays one community’s attempts to enforce their treaty rights and protect their lands, while also revealing the complexities of contemporary treaty agreements. Trick or Treaty? made history as the first film by an Indigenous filmmaker to be part of the Masters section at TIFF when it screened there in 2014.

  • director
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • writer
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • editor
    Alison Burns
  • camera
    René Sioui Labelle
    Philippe Amiguet
  • aerial camera
    Michaël Darby
  • additional camera
    Riley Hardisty
  • location sound
    Glenn Hodgins
  • original music
    Alain Auger
  • musician
    Alain Auger
    François Pilon
    Ariane Lajoie
    Ligia Paquin
    Sheila Hannigan
    Mathieu Gagné
    Marc-André Brunet
    Al Goulem
    Tony Robinow
  • narration
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • music recording
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • voice recording
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • additional music recording
    Alain Auger
  • sound editor
    Don Ayer
  • mix
    Jean Paul Vialard
  • foley
    Stéphane Cadotte
  • foley assistant
    Sylvain Robillard
  • research
    Alanis Obomsawin
    Noreen Kruzich
    Katherine Kasirer
  • rights clearances
    Elizabeth Klinck
  • on-line
    Denis Pilon
  • graphic design
    Mélanie Bouchard
  • titles
    Mélanie Bouchard
  • digital editing technician
    Isabelle Painchaud
    Pierre Dupont
    Patrick Trahan
  • transcription
    Dyane Provost
  • technical coordinator
    Jean-François Laprise
  • marketing manager
    François Jacques
  • marketing assistant
    Catherine Benoît
  • publicist
    Pat Dillon
  • legal counsel
    Dominique Aubry
  • production coordinator
    Christine Williams
  • senior production coordinator
    Isabelle Limoges
  • program administrator
    Leslie Anne Poyntz
  • producer
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • executive producer
    Annette Clarke
Trick or Treaty?
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