NFB Collection
Deadman
200928 min 2 secFilm: Documentary
Direction: Chelsea McMullan
Production: Geoff McLean (Vision Entertainment)Lea Marin (National Film Board of Canada)Silva Basmajian
Script: Chelsea McMullan
Produced by Vision Entertainment in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada and in association with TVO, an initiative of the NFB-TVO Calling Card Program with the participation of Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC).
Go west, young man, to Deadman Creek, and the quixotic world of Matt Sandvoss, a Wild West-obsessed visionary who straddles the line between big dreamer and boy at heart. Despite great personal heartache, Matt doggedly pursues his plan to construct a replica of an Old-West town in a remote part of British Columbia, complete with a saloon and a gaggle of villainous gunfighters, cheerfully led by his dad, Monte.
Matt’s mission raises questions for Gerald Carter, a Cree resident of Deadman Creek – about the age-old stereotypes of cowboys and Indians, the easy “commodification” of sacred land, and the troubling disparity between fantasy and history.
Deadman’s tranquil pacing and glorious vistas gently build to a climactic, clever and moving showdown between two opposing camps, between an ancient, peaceful way of life and the seductive yet violent mythology of the Wild West.
Availability
Subject categories
- Indigenous Peoples in Canada (First Nations and Métis) > British ColumbiaCultural ConflictLifestyles
Credits
- writer
- Chelsea McMullan
- director
- Chelsea McMullan
- producer
- Geoff McLean
- Lea Marin
- executive producer
- Silva Basmajian
- commissioning editor
- Jane Jankovic
- participation
- Matt Sandvoss
- Gerald Carter
- Darlene Sandvoss
- Norma Peters
- Heather Sandvoss
- Melissa Sandvoss
- Kyle "Onions" Carter
- Jay "Bones" Carter
- Noreen "Snorty" Carter
- creative consultant
- Raha Shirazi
- editor
- Avrïl Jacobson
- director of photography
- Maya Bankovic
- co-director of photography
- Alejandro Coronado
- original score composer
- Rae Spoon
- additional photography
- Matthew J. Lloyd
- Derek Howard
- Kathleen Hepburn
- independent production officer
- Linda Fong
- production designer
- Leanne Mackay
- unit production manager
- Jordan Masciangelo
- production coordinator
- Sarah Arruda
- visual consultant
- Matthew J. Lloyd
- story consultant
- Marlene Rodgers
- Franco Pante
- sound editor
- Grant Edmonds
- sound mix
- Grant Edmonds
- location sound
- Kylie McMullan
- Leanne Mackay
- colorist
- Walt Biljan
- online editor
- Kevin Kim
- post facility
- Fini Films
- marketing manager
- Kelley Alexander
- marketing assistant
- Donna Cowan