Film-maker explores the generation gap

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Dreams do come true; just ask Tracey Deer, a 27-year-old director from a Mohawk reserve just outside of Montreal called Kahnawake.

At the age of 12, Deer dreamt of being a film-maker and now with two films under her belt she said the dedication and hard work has paid off.

She reminisced about sitting down with her family to watch movies. She said her dad was a big home video enthusiast, and so they would always have new movies to watch. She remembered that after each film she would suddenly want to be one of the characters in the movie. Eventually she realized that she actually wanted to make the film herself.

Deer is the first Kahnawake Native to graduate from Dartmouth University since Dr. Kent Saylor in 1980. She graduated in 2000 where she obtained a degree in film studies and photography with an emphasis on documentary production. Since graduating, Deer co-directed her first feature-length film called One More River: The Deal That Split the Cree. She went to each of the nine communities in Quebec documenting the painful divisions among the Cree as they came to a decision on their nation's land deal with the Quebec government. The Cree grand council believed that signing the agreement and allowing a dam to be built in their territory would be good for the community, but the deal led to a divided nation.

"It was a really emotional, highly politically charged time," said Deer.

The film, One More River, picked up Best Documentary at the fourth annual DOXA Documentary Film and Video Festival held in Vancouver.

"I think a lot of people kind of appreciate that this has been documented for history, and time will only tell if the right decision was made," said Deer.

Not long after she joined the production team of One More River, Deer was promoted to co-director. Her producer said to Deer that if she had any of her own ideas for a documentary that would be the time to tell her about them. As soon as the words left her producer's lips, Deer pitched the idea of a story about growing up as a young person in Kahnawake. Deer said she wasn't interested in making a fussy propaganda piece. She wanted to make an honest film that would get people talking and thinking about the struggles and hardships teenagers go through growing up.

"It's an easy, yet hard, story to tell because you know it so well, but because it's so close to home, it turned out to be very hard for me. "It's scary because I didn't want anybody to be mad at me, but at the same time, I wanted to be truthful."

Deer said the motivation to make the documentary film called Mohawk Girls came from the segregated relationship between older and younger people in Kahnawake.

Tracy Deer said there's a huge gap between the two, and she wanted to try and expel that. She said she also made this film to remind parents and adults that it's hard growing up as a teenager.

"As the older generation, we need to be a little more understanding of the young people and we need to reach out and try and help them as much as possible," said Deer.

Mohawk Girls is an hour-long film about teenage girls with rules that can be strict and unforgiving. They make difficult life choices that will affect their futures. Deer said the stories are powerful as well as inspiring. The girls opened up completely and exposed their hearts and souls to the camera about the negative aspects of growing up on the reserve.

"These are three amazing girls with so much honesty and courage and I think that they are amazing for opening up in front of the camera," said Deer. "They are inspirational and I hope that the audience is inspired by them when they watch it, especially the young people."

Mohawk Girls opened the Land Insights Festival in Montreal last June, with the theatre packed to capacity. Deer reflected on her time making the film, saying she felt as if she was putting herself out on a limb. In addition to the anxiety of making her first solo film, she felt scared because she didn't know how he audience would perceive it. Once she heard the first group of people laugh when they were supposed to laugh, she said it made her feel good.

"Just seeing the theatre packed and everybody waiting to see my work made me feel kind of ill, but at the same time excited," said Deer.

The most amazing thing about the whole night, she said, was at the end of the film the audience stood and gave Deer and the three girls a standing ovation. At the reception, audience members complimented Deer and recounted how the film affected them, and they complimented the three girls for being so strong and amazing.

"The girls are all very strong in the film and they don't shy away from some of the tougher issues, so they really put themselves out there and they were supported by the audience ... for their courage," Deer said.

Deer said she really wanted the premiere to be really special for the girls so the night before they went shopping together and bought new outfits. A limo picked them up on the reserve and drove them to the premiere in Montreal.

On the day of this interview, Deer and one of the girls from the film were invited to sit in on a radio show. They both were answering questions about the film and the question of who their inspirations were came up.

The 18-year-old woman said Deer was her inspiration and an incredible role model to her and to other girls. The young woman said Deer chases her dreams, she has achieved her dream and if Deer could do it, she could too.

"I never thought of myself in that way, a role model ... I was just so touched," said Deer. "I'm just so moved by it ... for people to tell me that my film affected them was just so mind-blowing and amazing, but then to hear from someone that my life is like an inspiration to them, it's almost too flattering."

Deer's advice to those who are interested in film-making is to go for it and go all the way with it. She said the film industry is somewhat difficult to get into because it's not what you know, bt who.

"If you have the motivation, talent and work hard you are going to do well and you will find your place in the industry," Deer said.

She believes she has talent, but on the other hand, she said she feels so lucky and a lot of things seem to have fallen into place for her.

"I love what I do," Deer said proudly. "I just want to be the best that I can be at it. I feel really blessed in many ways."

The documentary One More River has been nominated for a Gemini Award, and Mohawk Girls won the Alanis Obomsawin award for best documentary at the ImagineNATIVE Film Festival held in Toronto from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23.