John Kim Bell: Born to “Indspire”

20234 min 52 secFilm: Documentary

Direction: Roxann Whitebean

Production: Amanda Roy (National Film Board of Canada)Cecil Rohan Fernando (National Film Board of Canada)

Script: Roxann Whitebean

Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in collaboration with the Governor General's Performing Arts Award Foundation.

In this unconventional portrait of John Kim Bell, he reflects on his formative years, which brought him to Broadway and influenced him to become the first Indigenous person in North America to lead a classical orchestra. After spending a lifetime amplifying the voices of Indigenous Peoples through the arts, he elaborates on his trailblazing work, including founding the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, known today as Indspire.

Availability


Subject categories


  • Music > Canadian MusiciansPerformancesSymphony Orchestras
  • Indigenous Peoples in Canada (First Nations and Métis) > Cultural IdentityPortraits
  • Roles & Relationships > Indigenous Identity
  • Indigenous Peoples: Canada > Kanien'kéhaka (Mohawk)
  • Intangible Culture & Literature > Music & Dance

Credits


recipient
John Kim Bell
writer
Roxann Whitebean
director
Roxann Whitebean
interviewer
Roxann Whitebean
participant
Lena Recollet
Stephanie Pangowish
Kelsey Melanson
Nightstar
dancer
Kean Buffalo
musician
Shane Kelsey
director of photography
Jon Elliot
sound recordist
Jacob Rogers
first assistant camera
Jordan Wanakamik
art designer
Paola Ridolfi
wardrobe
Ange Loft
makeup artist
Nightstar
hair artist
Nightstar
production assistant
Jordan Wanakamik
Victoria Anderson Gardner
data wrangling
Victoria Anderson Gardner
editing
Rebecca Lessard
sound editing
Travis Mercredi
sound design
Travis Mercredi
music composition
George Guerrette
re-recording
Geoffrey Mitchell
online editing
Yannick Carrier
titles
Cynthia Ouellet
transcripts
Leanne Oakes
translation
Claude Dionne
subtitling
Claude Dionne
program coordinator
Sylvie Azoulay
administrator
Leslie Anne Poyntz
production supervisor
Roz Power
technical coordinator
Christopher MacIntosh
Daniel Lord
Julien Archambault
senior production coordinator
Cheryl Murgatroyd
production coordinator
Yanis Ait Mohamed
producer
Amanda Roy
executive producer
Cecil Rohan Fernando