Released in 1968 and often referred to as Canada’s first music video, The Ballad of Crowfoot was directed by Willie Dunn, a Mi’kmaq/Scottish folk singer and activist who was part of the historic Indian Film Crew, the first all-Indigenous production unit at the NFB. The film is a powerful look at colonial betrayals, told through a striking montage of archival images and a ballad composed by Dunn himself about the legendary 19th-century Siksika (Blackfoot) chief who negotiated Treaty 7 on behalf of the Blackfoot Confederacy. The IFC’s inaugural release, Crowfoot was the first Indigenous-directed film to be made at the NFB.
Title | The Ballad of Crowfoot |
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Year | 1968 |
Genre | Documentary, Music |
Country | Canada |
Studio | ONF | NFB, Challenge for Change / Société Nouvelle |
Cast | |
Crew | Barrie Howells (Producer), Willie Dunn (Writer), Willie Dunn (Music), Willie Dunn (Director) |
Keyword | indigenous, archive footage, music, mi'kmaq, colonial betrayal, scottish folk singer |
Release | Jan 01, 1968 |
Runtime | 10 minutes |
Quality | HD |
IMDb | 6.80 / 10 by 4 users |
Popularity | 1 |
Budget | 0 |
Revenue | 0 |
Language | English |