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“A very powerful and very
compelling journey.”—Nancy Blomberg
Curator of Native Arts,
Denver Art Museum
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(for more information
info@camberporter.org)
A
Documentary Film, Sacred Journey, Airing Across Canada
A feature documentary, Sacred Journey, which explores the powerful
influence of Native spirituality on the paintings and writings of
Melinda Camber Porter and her collaboration with Mi’kmaq rock musician
and spiritual elder J. Hubert Francis, airs nationwide in Canada on the
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network commencing Christmas Day 2001and
subsequently on Vision Television.
Through the inspiring collaboration between these two artists, the rich
cultural heritage of the Wabanaki People is celebrated. A focal point of
the documentary is the exciting resurgence of respect for the vital
ancestral values of the Mi’kmaq People.
Sacred Journey offers an in-depth look at a unique evolving relationship
between artist and author Melinda Camber Porter and J. Hubert Francis, a
Native musician from Big Cove, a First Nation community in New
Brunswick, Canada. These two artists exchange ideas about their
individual spirituality and art. Melinda Camber Porter charts the
arduous creative journey in her paintings, commencing in the early 1980s
with the inspirational effect of the elemental landscapes of the Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation, culminating in her ecstatic communion with
nature as documented in her series of large oils on canvas, Barcelona
Point and The Triptych Series, and the introspective watercolors and
pen-and-ink drawings in the Luminous Bodies series. Her ongoing creative
collaboration with J. Hubert Francis is revealed to be a fount of
support, wisdom, and spiritual illumination. J. Hubert Francis, in turn,
expresses his gratitude toward his Aboriginal tradition and the
strengths of the teachings of his Mi’kmaq ancestors. These two
individuals, who are worlds apart, trade stories of the trials and
tribulations encountered throughout their careers and show us what
beauty can be achieved when racial and social barriers are stripped down
and a mutual sharing of self occurs through their respective art forms.
J. Hubert Francis is lead singer and songwriter of the rock band
Eagle Feather. His third and latest album, Message from a Drum, was
nominated for a Juno Award.
Melinda Camber Porter is an artist, writer, and filmmaker. Her
novel Badlands, a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, is set in the Pine
Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota. A solo exhibition of her
paintings toured nationwide in the United States from 1993 through 1997.
She is currently directing a series of feature documentaries on leading
film directors, Visions on Film (www.camberporter.org).
Sacred Journey, co-directed by Brian J. Francis and Pierre
Desjardins, is one of a 13-part documentary series entitled Eastern
Tide, which is produced by Bear Paw Productions and Grana Productions
Inc. in association with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN),
VISION TV, Film NB, the Canadian Television Fund, Telefilm Canada and
the Federal Tax Credits.
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN,
www.aptn.ca) has become
an important entertainment, news, and educational programming choice for
8 million households in Canada.
VisionTV (www.visionTV.ca)
provides “Cornerstone” programming, which features documentaries, music,
drama, British comedies, feature films, and series, all of which
celebrate and explore the human spirit and the journey of life. VisionTV
is received in approximately 6.7 million households across Canada.
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