UMass Amherst Libraries Present “1200+”: A Film and Panel Discussion about #MMIWG

The UMass Amherst Libraries will host a film screening and panel discussion for “1200+,” a documentary about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), on Monday, May 5, 5 p.m., in Old Chapel at UMass Amherst. There will be a reception beginning at 5 p.m., followed by the screening at 6 p.m. and the panel discussion at 7:30 p.m. Additionally, The Center for Women and Community will table at the event, offering resources and info about their Sexual Assault Support and Advocacy Services (SASA).

The panel consists of film director Leonard Yakir, film producer and former Grand Chief of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, Sheila North, and Jennifer Wood, who is Ojibway from Neyaashiinigmiing First Nation, Ontario and a residential school survivor.

This event is presented by the University Libraries in partnership with the Center for Multicultural Advancement & Student Success, Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, Office of Equity and Inclusion, Center for Women and Community, and the departments of Film Studies, Anthropology and Communication.

Film Information:

1200+ was filmed in Canada where Indigenous communities have been tragically impacted by the violence and murder of Indigenous women and girls. The documentary was produced by former Grand Chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Sheila North, and Leonard Yakir who also directed the film.

In 2013 the RCMP claimed over 1,200 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in Canada. Family and friends claim up to 4,000 and more. In 2017 the Guardian stated: “While 7% of children across Canada are Aboriginal, they count for nearly half of all the foster children in the country.” The film is seen through the eyes of investigative reporter Sheila North, who has made it her passion to get to the bottom of MMIWG. Sheila examines how and why these women and girls go missing and draws on the similarities of their circumstances. This phenomenon is not unique to Canada. The US Department of Justice found that American Indian women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average.

“This screening is important for us and our Indigenous communities as we need to raise awareness and bring international attention to the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. We invite those who can attend this screening to see the film, to learn more about the issue of MMIWG and how it is impacting our communities and families across the country,” said Sheila North. “My passion for these women and girls, and their stories, is based on personal experience. Not only am I from a family who has experienced such a loss, I was a young Indigenous woman myself, and I can look back and see all the dangerous situations I was put in while living as an Indigenous woman in the urban environment. Now, as someone with more life experience, I know those dark corners of Canada’s towns and cities that need more light, that need more helping hands reaching in, and that’s a big reason I made this documentary. I hope people are inspired to make change.”

Throughout the process, the producers took special care in sharing the stories of women and their families and impassioned testimonies from experiential women.

“Indigenous families and communities are hurting and missing loved ones right across the country. The focus of 1200+ is the families in Manitoba, which some call ground-zero for the MMIW issue,” said Sheila North. “It was an honor to work with the young women, their families and present a new perspective on an issue that is as old as the colonization of North America,” said Leonard Yakir. “We undertook creating 1200+ to bring awareness and understanding to the issue of MMIWG, hopefully awareness and understanding will also bring change.”

Panelist Information:

Leonard Yakir: Leonard Yakir was born in Germany, migrated to Canada as an infant, and grew up in Winnipeg’s North End which at that time was a melting pot of Indigenous Peoples, Holocaust Survivors and other Eastern European Immigrants. He attended the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute where he studied film and photography. He produced and directed the first Winnipeg based feature film, THE MOURNING SUIT, an official entry at the Locarno & Chicago International festivals and has enjoyed national television and theatrical release. He has since been the creative force behind socially motivated films such as MAINSTREET SOLDIER (Etrog nominee), OUT OF THE BLUE (official entry Cannes Film Festival) and the award winning THE RING OF1000 SOULS AND SOUND. 1200+ is his latest film.

Sheila North: Sheila is the former Grand Chief of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), and former Chief Communications Officer for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. She ran for the position of National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2018 on a platform of reforms. Sheila is a former CTV journalist and documentarist and was nominated for a Gemini Award as a CBC journalist. As a filmmaker, Sheila released a documentary, 1200+, about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) featured on CTV in 2019. And, as a Cree host, she has been voicing episodes of Taken, a series about MMIW, for APTN and CBC.

Jennifer Wood:  Jennifer is Ojibway from Neyaashiinigmiing First Nation, Ontario and a residential school Survivor. She was the Coordinator of the Residential Schools Settlement Agreement for nearly a decade for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs She has organized some of the largest and most important Indigenous conferences in Canada. Jennifer has worked on multiple projects and developed positive working relationships with diverse organizations throughout her career. In 2007 she planned and organized the First Residential School Survivors National Gathering for Survivors. In 2011, she coordinated the Hidden Legacy for Residential School Survivors Gathering and managed the National Protocol Signing Agreement whereby American tribes and First Nations in Canada signed a historical protocols agreement to work together and partner for business and other enterprises development. Drawn into politics her whole adult life, Jennifer was the senior political staff adviser for then Grand Chief Sheila North of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), a governance organization representing 31 First Nations in northern Manitoba. Prior to that, she had worked for ten years as the political assistant to Elijah Harper, one of the first Indigenous Members of Parliament.