''Mesnak'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Yves Sioui Durand and released in 2011.
The first feature film written and directed by an
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
* Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
* Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehor ...
Innu
The Innu / Ilnu ("man", "person") or Innut / Innuat / Ilnuatsh ("people"), formerly called Montagnais from the French colonial period (French for "mountain people", English pronunciation: ), are the Indigenous inhabitants of territory in the n ...
origin who was adopted by parents who raised him with no connection to his
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
** First Nat ...
heritage. He receives an unexpected invitation to return home to his birthplace, only to learn that he was invited because his birth mother Gertrude (Kathia Rock) is about to marry Claude (Marco Collin), the corrupt band chief who is taking kickbacks from a
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
company to support a logging development on the band's land. Meanwhile, he befriends Osalic (
Ève Ringuette Ève is a French given name, the counterpart to the English name Eve and the Latinate Eva. Notable people with this name include: People
* Ève Angeli, French musician
* Ève Bazaiba, a member of the Movement of the Liberation of the Congo
* Ève B ...
), a young woman in the community who is being victimized by
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...
, and tries to help her achieve her dream of escaping the community for a better life.
The film was partially inspired by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's play ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...
''. Its cast also includes musician
Florent Vollant
Florent Vollant (born August 10, 1959 in Labrador) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. An Innu from Maliotenam, Quebec, he was half of the popular folk music duo Kashtin, one of the most significant musical groups in First Nations history. He has ...
in a small role as a homeless man; some of Vollant's music is used in the film's soundtrack.
The film premiered in October 2011 at the
imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world's largest Indigenous film and media arts festival, held annually in Toronto in the month of October. The festival focuses on the film, video, radio, and new media work of Indigenous, Abor ...
, before opening commercially in early 2012.
Ringuette received a
15th Jutra Awards The 15th Prix Iris, Prix Jutra ceremony was held on March 17, 2013 at the Salle Pierre-Mercure theatre in Montreal, Quebec, to honour achievements in the Cinema of Quebec in 2012.American Indian Film Festival
The American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco, California, United States. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated solely to Native American/First Nations films and prepared the way for the 1979 formati ...
TVA Nouvelles
TVA Nouvelles is the news division of TVA, a French language television network in Canada.
Programs produced by the division include nightly local and national newscasts branded as ''TVA Nouvelles'', as well as the news magazine program ''JE' ...