“Barry Barclay 1944-2008: A Requiem Parts 1 & 2” Series 3 Episode 37 & 38

Barry Barclay, filmmaker, poet laureate, friend and companion to the Queen, was a man held in high esteem. He was known as a staunch advocate for the right of Indigenous people to tell their own stories. He was the first Indigenous male to make a feature film in modern times and the first Indigenous filmmaker to be invited to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival with his film “Ngati”. Throughout his career, he led the way for other Indigenous artists to work in narrative storytelling in the media. Barclay worked extensively on Maori stories about culture, repatriation and reclamation, on Taonga and Maori belief systems before his untimely death in 2008. Part One of this requiem to Barry Barclay examines his influence in the making of the Maori voice. The directors of “Storytellers in motion” reintroduce him in memory and pay respect to a giant among Indigenous storytellers who helped advance the cause of human rights and restore the dignity of Indigenous people's images. Part Two takes a closer look at Barry Barclay's final film, “The Kaipara Affair”, one of the most controversial episodes in his life. Artists and academics who know Barclay's work talk about his effect on their thinking and the way they view the world of the Indigenous image. “Barry Barclay (1944-2008): A Requiem” reflects on the life and work of a great friend of humanity. It attempts to measure the intellectual footprint that is his legacy while paying tribute to a fallen soldier of truth and consequence. In the words of Stephen McCurdy:

"The sun blazed on his tangi and burial. There was discovery and re-forging of old connections and cementing of new. In its outpouring of grief and laughter it was a hugely vital experience, a time of snotty-nosed sorrow, explosions of laughter, and intense beauty. To be remembered."

“Storytellers in Motion”, Series 3 continues its celebration of Canada's Indigenous artists who work across media, from writers, producers and directors to video artists.

Produced by: Jeff Bear, Marianne Jones, Kristy Assu, Urban Rez Productions