The Ballad of Crowfoot

Overview

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.

Details

Status

Released

Release date

January 1, 1968

Original language

English

Spoken languages

English

Countries

Canada

Production

Challenge for Change / Société Nouvelle,ONF,NFB

Director

Willie Dunn

Writer

Willie Dunn

Producer

Barrie Howells

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

Homepage

Official site

IMDb

tt0222782