May 2009
Paul M. Rickard (Cree) is from Moose Factory in northern Ontario, where he is the co-founder and director of the Weeneebeg Aboriginal Film and Video Festival. A producer, director and cameraman for over 15 years, he is the president of his own production group, Mushkeg Media, based in Montreal. Rickard has written and directed a number of award-winning works, including Okimah, which won the Best of the Fest award at the Yellowknife Far North Film Festival. Besides his own documentary productions, Rickard is an active producer working with documentary filmmakers including Reaghan Tarbell and Tracy Deer, and has co-directed works with Deer as well. He directed and co-produced the documentary Finding My Talk: A Journey into Aboriginal Languages, which led to the development of a series Finding Our Talk for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, now in its third season. He has also led numerous media training programs, digital storytelling with young students in Moose Factory. Rickard was a guest selector for the NMAI’s 2003 Native American Film + Video Festival.
“The old stories were designed to teach lessons that are just as relevant nowadays as they were in the past. Nowadays people live in communities and don't necessarily live off the land and by their parents' ways. I simply wanted to show that traditional stories had a place in the contemporary world. I am very inspired by elders and the stories they tell. I think filmmakers have a role in passing on their stories by putting them on screen. It is also important to transmit knowledge to youth and to work with them through training programs or by providing workshops. This is one of the goals of the Moose Factory film festival, where aboriginal filmmakers have been hosting workshops since 2001.”
Screened by NMAI
Image credit:
Paul Rickard at the 2003 Native American Film and Video
Festival selector's meeting - Photograph by Amalia Cordova, NMAI
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