Canadian-American filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin to win MacDowell Medal

PETERBOROUGH, N.H. – Prolific filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin will receive the MacDowell Medal.

MacDowell, an American arts organization, says the Canadian-American documentarian will be the first female filmmaker to win the prize when it’s awarded at a ceremony in July.

The award goes to an artist who’s made an outstanding contribution to their field.

The 90-year-old Obomsawin, who is Abenaki, has more than 50 films under her belt, including 1993’s “Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance” and last year’s short “Bill Reid Remembers.”

Past winners of the prize include James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Toni Morrison.

Jesse Wente will introduce Obomsawin at an event on the MacDowell campus in Peterborough, N.H.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2023.