9. Gil Cardinal: From the Edge

Gil Cardinal (Cree/Metis) is one of Canada’s most renowned Indigenous filmmakers and in this episode he invites us into his world and into his home.

As Gil modestly tells it, his career began when he “landed a job as a studio cameraman in the local educational television station…and it just kind of evolved.” Through film, he eventually set out to discover the truth of his origins, and to face some personal demons. His very personal documentary Foster Child (1987), earned Gil the Gemini Award in Canada for best direction of a documentary program in 1988.

Gil has written and directed over 30 documentaries and dramas. Gil’s heartfelt concerns and personal sense of responsibility in his work are always focused on the subject, whether that is an individual or a “story”, documentary or drama, and he loves both. Indigenous storytelling is richer as a result.

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