The Road Forward

Streaming video - 2017

A musical documentary by Marie Clements, connects a pivotal moment in Canada’s civil rights history—the beginnings of Indian Nationalism in the 1930s—with the powerful momentum of First Nations activism today. Clements paints an electrifying picture of how a tiny movement, the Native Brotherhood and Native Sisterhood, became a powerful voice for social, political and legal advocacy, eventually effecting profound change at the national level. The Road Forward’s stunningly shot musical sequences, performed by an ensemble of some of Canada’s finest vocalists and musicians, seamlessly connect past and present with soaring vocals, blues, rock, and traditional beats. Superbly produced story-songs bring history alive with heartbreaking b...allads about the missing and murdered Indigenous women, and offer hope with inspirational anthems for moving forward. Interwoven throughout the documentary are deeply moving interviews with the musicians and singers speaking intimately about what it means politically and personally to be contemporary First Nations artists. THE ROAD FORWARD is a rousing tribute to the fighters for First Nations rights, a soul-resounding historical experience, and a visceral call to action. more