Four Directions
Genredramatic anthology
Written byThomas King
Duke Redbird
Serena Mis-Ta-Nash
Paul Kuster
Country of originCanada
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
ProducersAngela Bruce[1]
Maryke McEwen
Bonnie Siegel
Running time30 min.
Original release
NetworkCBC Television
ReleaseNovember 28 (1996-11-28) –
December 19, 1996 (1996-12-19)

Four Directions is a Canadian dramatic anthology television series, which aired on CBC Television in 1996.[2] The series consisted of four half-hour teleplays about First Nations characters and stories.

Background

First announced in 1992 as a 13-week series focusing on "the diversity of First Nations cultures",[3] the planned series was reduced to eight, then to six and finally to four episodes by the time it actually went into production in 1994.[4] In addition to writing one of the four episodes, Thomas King served as story editor for the series.[4]

In addition to the episodes produced, rejected scripts were also submitted by Evan Adams[5] and Drew Hayden Taylor.[6]

Despite the episodes being completed in 1994, the series remained unscheduled for another two years until the network decided in 1996 to air it as a companion piece to the long-running drama series North of 60, which was at that time nearing the end of its run and airing a reduced number of episodes.[2][4] Accordingly, two weeks in the fall of 1996 were chosen, during which two episodes of Four Directions would air in the North of 60 time slot.[2][4]

During the delays in producing and scheduling the series, King publicly criticized the CBC for not undertaking sufficient effort to ensure that First Nations people were given the opportunity to get involved in and learn the production process.[7]

Follow-up

The series was reaired on VisionTV in 1999.[8]

Episodes

# Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"A Canoe for the Making"George BloomfieldDuke RedbirdNovember 28, 1996 (1996-11-28)
After committing an act of domestic violence against his wife, a young man (Kennetch Charlette) is taken to a secluded island by his father-in-law (Gordon Tootoosis), and forced to help build a birch-bark canoe as a challenge to confront his alcoholism and reconnect with his indigenous spirituality and heritage.
2"Borders"Gil CardinalThomas KingNovember 28, 1996 (1996-11-28)
On a planned trip to Utah, Olive (Wendy Walker) is trapped on the Canada–United States border when American customs agents deny her entry because she has declared her nationality as Blackfoot rather than Canadian, but the Canadian agents won't let her back into Canada for the same reason.
3"Flat Mountain Taxtales"Kit HoodSerena Mis-Ta-NashDecember 19, 1996 (1996-12-19)
An elderly couple (Diana Delorme and Winston Wuttunee) squatting in an abandoned property in Haines Junction, Yukon are astonished and mystified when they receive a tax assessment from Revenue Canada.
4"The Hero"Gary FarmerPaul KusterDecember 19, 1996 (1996-12-19)
Two young roommates in Toronto compare their radically different perspectives on their aboriginal heritage.

References

  1. ↑ "CBC producer developed award-winning shows". The Globe and Mail, August 3, 2000.
  2. 1 2 3 "Four-part series by and about Canadian natives took years to air". Calgary Herald, November 28, 1996.
  3. ↑ "CBC calls for native voices". Vancouver Sun, August 18, 1992.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "CBC finally releases stirring aboriginal dramas". Ottawa Citizen, November 24, 1996.
  5. ↑ "Native issues all native to Evan Adams' history and career". Vancouver Sun, March 22, 1995.
  6. ↑ "Non-native producers decide I can't write `native enough'?". Toronto Star, January 28, 1995.
  7. ↑ "Writer urges CBC to let natives tell their own stories". Toronto Star, November 20, 1993.
  8. ↑ "NHL playoffs saddle Cowboy drama with fall restart". Ottawa Citizen, April 23, 1999.
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