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Mohawk Girls

NBC/Universal’s streaming service Peacock snaps up award-winning Mohawk Girls for broadcast in the U.S.

From a media release:

Rezolution Pictures announced today that NBC’s Peacock streaming service has picked up all 5 seasons of the critically acclaimed, award-winning and much-loved TV series Mohawk Girls. All 5 seasons began airing on July 12, 2021.

Mohawk Girls takes a comedic look at the lives of four modern-day women trying to stay true to their roots while navigating sex, work, love and what it means to be Mohawk in the 21st century. The half-hour dramedy follows these twenty-something women as they begin to forge their own identity within a community embedded with rules and cultural traditions.

The cast includes Jenny Pudavick (Bailey), Brittany LeBorgne (Zoe), Heather White (Caitlin), and Maika Harper (Anna) and Canadian film & TV veterans Tantoo Cardinal as Zoe’s mother and Glen Gould as Bailey’s father.

The show’s launch in the US joins a wave of Native American programming that brings modern Indigenous stories into the mainstream TV landscape, including Rutherford Falls, co-created by Ed Helms, Sierra Teller Ornelas and Michael Schur, also streaming on Peacock; and Reservation Dogs, created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi.

Mohawk Girls was created and executive produced by Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight. Directed by Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight was the head writer. Produced by Rezolution Pictures’ Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon and Linda Ludwick, and executive produced by Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon, Linda Ludwick and Ernest Webb.

“We’re delighted that Peacock has picked up Mohawk Girls and millions of American viewers will now have access to this fun, bold show that’s more timely than ever and that will entertain while also shedding light on an Indigenous world not often represented on American TV.” – Cynthia Knight, Series Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Head Writer; Tracey Deer, Series Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Director

About Rezolution Pictures
Rezolution Pictures is an award-winning production company led by Ernest Webb and Catherine Bainbridge (co-founders and executive producers), Christina Fon (Vice-President and executive producer), and Linda Ludwick (CFO and executive producer). Rezolution is best known for its original and trailblazing productions, including feature documentaries such as the Emmy-nominated RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World, which screened worldwide and won multiple awards at Sundance, Hot Docs, and the Canadian Screen Awards, among others; and Reel Injun, which won multiple Geminis, and a Peabody Award. Rezolution also made its mark in scripted television with Canadian Screen Award-nominated comedy series, Mohawk Girls, which aired for five seasons on APTN, was recently broadcast as part of Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment and streams on CBC’s GEM platform. From ground-breaking documentaries to innovative scripted series, Rezolution has helped shape Canada’s film and television industry for the past two decades, working with many of the country’s best new and established talents to create unique content, as well as video game and Virtual Reality content through its sister company Minority Media. An effective mix of production, creative, and executive experience has positioned Rezolution for global success as it turns its focus to developing and producing premium content with international partners.

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Mohawk Girls

Award-winning Mohawk Girls to broadcast on CBC beginning June 16

From a media release:

Season 1 of the critically acclaimed, award-winning and much-loved Rezolution Pictures TV series Mohawk Girls  will begin broadcasting on CBC TV on Tuesday, June 16 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT), as part of CBC’s Tuesday night comedy lineup. Following its run, Season 2 will launch Tuesday, August 4 on CBC and CBC Gem, and Seasons 3-5 will be available this fall on the free CBC Gem streaming service. Season 1 is available now on CBC Gem.

Over the course of its 4-year / 5-season run Mohawk Girls  was nominated for multiple Canadian Screen Awards including Best Comedy Series, Best Direction in a Comedy Series, Best Writing in a Comedy Series, and Best Actress in a Comedy Series. The dramedy series that originally aired on APTN from 2014-2017 was embraced by fans across the country, lauded by TV critics, and garnered a devout and diverse following who enthusiastically awaited the start of each season.

Mohawk Girls takes a comedic look at the lives of four modern-day women trying to stay true to their roots while navigating sex, work, love and what it means to be Mohawk in the 21st century. The half-hour dramedy follows these twenty-something women as they begin to forge their own identity within a community embedded with rules and cultural traditions.

The dynamic cast of four leading women includes Jenny Pudavick (Bailey), Brittany LeBorgne (Zoe), Heather White (Caitlin), and Maika Harper (Anna), as well as Canadian film & TV veterans Tantoo Cardinal as Zoe’s mother and Glen Gould as Bailey’s father.

Mohawk Girls was created and executive produced by Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight; Tracey Deer directed the episodes and Cynthia Knight was the head writer and showrunner. The series was produced by Rezolution Pictures’ Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon and Linda Ludwick, and executive produced by Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon, Linda Ludwick and Ernest Webb.

“We are so thrilled to have CBC air our show! We wanted to create a show that was unique, smart, relevant and empowering and we are so proud we get to relive each moment on television one more time.”
– Cynthia Knight, Series Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Head Writer/Showrunner

“This series was my love letter to my community, to my people. It was a celebration of who we are and most importantly our women. I am extremely excited that the show has found a second home on CBC.”- Tracey Deer, Series Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Director

About Rezolution Pictures
Rezolution Pictures is an award-winning production company led by Ernest Webb and Catherine Bainbridge (co-founders and executive producers), Christina Fon (Vice-President and executive producer), and Linda Ludwick (CFO and executive producer). Rezolution is best known for its original and trailblazing productions such as feature documentaries RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World, which screened worldwide and won multiple awards at Sundance, Hot Docs, and the Canadian Screen Awards, among others; and Reel Injun, which won multiple Geminis, and a Peabody Award. Rezolution also made its mark in scripted television with Canadian Screen Award-nominated comedy series, Mohawk Girls, which aired for five seasons on APTN, was recently broadcast as part of Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment and will now will now be available on the CBC Gem streaming service. From ground-breaking documentaries to innovative scripted series, Rezolution has helped shape Canada’s film and television industry for the past two decades, working with many of the country’s best new and established talents to create unique content, as well as video game and Virtual Reality content through its sister company Minority Media. An effective mix of production, creative, and executive experience has positioned Rezolution for global success as it turns its focus to developing and producing premium content with international partners.Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Featured, Industry News, Mohawk Girls

Tracey Deer on improving gender balance in Canadian TV and film: “You have to be brave to change things”

After covering the Canadian television industry for five years, I assumed the gender balance was even. I know several female showrunners like Emily Andras (Wynonna Earp), Sarah Dodd (Cardinal: Blackfly Season), Jennica Harper (Jann), Catherine Reitman (Workin’ Moms) and Michelle Lovretta (Killjoys), many female writers and female directors. And, after the CBC announced they would ensure 50 per cent of directors on their projects would be female, I naively thought, “All good.”

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

A recent report by Women in View examined more than 5,000 contracts issued between 2014 and 2017 in television, and between 2015 and 2017 in film. The report has been tracking gender balance in Canada’s film and television industry, and the most recent uncovered some movement toward gender balance since the first study in 2012, but women of colour and Indigenous women remain woefully under-employed.

“There are still gaps and, sadly, it’s women who are making the change,” Women in View’s Board Chair Tracey Deer says. “Women showrunners are hiring women. We need our male colleagues to get on board as well and then I think we’re going to see some massive changes.” Deer, who most recently directed, co-created and co-executive produced Mohawk Girls, believes the industry is slow to change because it has been male-dominated for so long. Add to that the industry is a collaboration—when you find someone you work well with, you’ll hire them again—and it’s an uphill battle for women.

“I don’t fault [men] that,” Deer stresses. “However, it’s complicit, and part of this problem. We need to shake it up, expand our network and not keep working with the same people over and over again.” There is some good news: between 2014 and 2017, there was a jump in women filling 17 per cent of the jobs to 28 per cent. But just 1.81 per cent of contracts went to women of colour, and Indigenous women only .69 per cent.

In 2017, no directing, writing or cinematography roles in television went to Indigenous women. Of the 3,206 television contracts issued during the full four-year period, just 22 went to Indigenous women, and only 12 of 1,637 film contracts. Just .87 per cent of writing roles and 5 per cent of directing jobs went to women of colour.

“There are lots of us out there who are at the calibre that is needed to do the work,” Deer says. “We constantly want to be bringing women up. But to hire women isn’t inherently throwing a bone to women, it’s about doing your own project a greater good by bringing on the different perspective that women, specifically women of colour and Indigenous women. We all bring different perspectives to our work and that makes it richer, not poorer.”

She believes the major change needs to begin at the top, at the broadcast level and the funding agency level, with a mandate to have a certain number of women and men. The people are there, Deer says, and ready to work.

“I talk a lot about people being brave,” she says. “You have to be brave to change things. When it rests just on the individual to do the right thing and be brave, it’s a really scary thing. It has to happen across the board.”

You can find more information and reports on the Women in View website. Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Featured, Mohawk Girls

Mohawk Girls — On:a

Last week’s episode of Mohawk Girls closed with everyone facing a critical decision that would affect their personal happiness. Would Caitlin choose Butterhead or Leon? Would Bailey choose to remain with James–a white man–or choose her responsibility to family and culture? Would Zoe choose to her needs or her mother’s ideal for a Mohawk citizen? And finally, would Anna, at long last, choose to accept herself and by doing so find her home in Kahnawa:ke?

This week the cold open featuring Bailey (Jenny Pudavick) and James (Jeffrey Wetsch) nicely summarized all of Bailey’s fears as this young couple contemplated what their future could mean together. After lists and careful reflection, Bailey chose both James and Kahnawa:ke. To celebrate, she hosted a pool party to welcome James. Anyone who supported her decision was invited to attend; a test run of sorts. Initially, it looked as though no one was going to attend and then once they did, no one was interacting. In the end, James broke the ice and challenged everyone to a cannonball contest. Nothing beats a good competition, and bridges between families and communities were forged.

Meanwhile, with Ohserase’s (Shawn Youngchief) support, Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne) was finally, at long last putting her own needs first instead of quashing them until they manifested in unhealthy ways. She was simply unwilling to sacrifice her dance class to participate in an end-of-season garbage clean up. She chose herself first over her community. Recognizing that she needed a clean slate, Zoe decided to remove herself from her family and Kahnawa:ke entirely. She and Ohserase went apartment hunting and found her fresh start; Zoe is moving off rez and into Montreal.

Anna ( Maika Harper) took a stand and chose self-respect over Midas’ two-blowjobs-a-day requirements, and Midas showed her the door. Anna’s cousin quickly stepped up to serve his needs. Later at the bar, Anna also took a stand against Iostha (Ally Pratt), and publicly declared that she is white and Mohawk and is “damn proud of who I am!” Did anyone else catch that look of envy by Iostha? The ONLY complaint I have about this episode was the Iostha storyline. While I understand the desire to tie up all of the loose ends, I didn’t think it was necessary for Iostha to also have an epiphany and suddenly put her nastiness aside. Cue the Happy-Happy. It just felt too rushed. At any rate, with her declaration, and self-acceptance, Anna finally feels as though she belongs in Kahnawa:ke. Hat Girl is BACK!

And finally, the most satisfying conclusion for the series! Caitlin (Heather White) finally put it all together. After unleashing a long stream of consciousness on poor Watio (Jimmy Blais), Caitlin realised she was looking for validation through men instead of loving herself. Watio queried, “So what are you going to do about that?” Let’s just say that when Caitlin makes up her mind, she really makes up her mind. First, she broke up with Leon (Dwain Murphy), and then we got to savour that moment we have all been waiting for since Season 1. Caitlin said goodbye to Blockheaded Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother) for good!

If you recall back when the series returned for Season 5, I felt Mohawk Girls had come full circle; back to the beginning of Season 1. While this final episode “Warriors” served to complete the series, I think it also satisfied many issues raised back in Season 1, Episode 4, “Where’s My Warrior?”

“Where’s My Warrior?” focused on the choice between the search for the warrior who would always have your back rather than just settling for a guy. Butterhead had just betrayed Caitlin when he drunkenly treated Lollipop to the butter treatment, so Caitlin returned to Stoney where her father (Lawrence Bayne) promptly let her down as well. Bailey was dating Jack, another white man, who ultimately let her down because he could not handle the drama. Zoe was just beginning to travel down the path of sexual addiction. Her need to rebel against the pressures her mother placed upon her were proving too difficult to cope and her father never stood up for her. And Anna had just embarked on her path of discovery, relying on Thunder for the cultural knowledge and community status that her deceased father could not provide, in order to help her establish her position in Kahnawa:ke. All of our protagonists were looking outward to locate themselves and find their self-worth.

Now we have come full circle. Instead of looking elsewhere for strength like we saw in Season 1, this season all of our leading ladies found that strength in themselves. In the end we saw Bailey, but with confidence in herself, and with the support of her family and her community, facing a bright future with James. Caitlin chose to find her happiness and self-worth inside herself rather than relying on the men in her life. Zoe chose to separate herself from her dysfunctional family and from the demands of Kahnawa:ke as she focuses on her next stage of healing. And Anna finally chose to accept both sides of herself, the white and the Mohawk, just as her parents had done by choosing each other, and through that self-acceptance found her position in Kahnewa:ke. So, tonight also answered the question posed in Season 1 “Where’s My Warrior?” Your “Warrior” is you.

My sincere thanks go out to co-creators Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight, and the cast and crew of Mohawk Girls for a truly insightful but hilariously fun look at life in Kahnawa:ke and life as a modern Indigenous woman in Canada today. Nia:wen for sharing your home with us, teaching us and doing so with laughter.

Niawenkowa!

How do you feel about Mohawk Girls coming to an end? Let me know in the comments below!Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Featured, Mohawk Girls

Mohawk Girls: The choice is yours

Caitlin, Zoe and Bailey from Season 1, Episode 1, “Welcome to Our World”.

When we first began, we met Bailey, Caitlin and Zoe, three longtime girlfriends who were coping with the mundanity of life, looking to meet Mr. Right. Then, along came this misfit Anna who just wanted to fit and make some new friends. Now here we are; the penultimate episode of Mohawk Girls. And, we are down to some serious, potentially life-altering CHOICES! Do they each choose this or that? Are you “In or Out?” Episode 5 laid these decisions out for our Mohawk Girls and for viewers.

Caitlin (Heather White) was trying every sexy trick she possessed to earn her way back into Butterhead’s (Meegwun Fairbrother) good graces. Foot massage, home cooked meal, and cancelling her salon renovations. She vowed to always put Butterhead’s needs before her own. She even gave up an opportunity to participate in a fundraiser in order to cheer on Butterhead in his weekend lacrosse match. Then the day of the fundraiser arrived and Butterhead was too hung over to play in his match. Caitlin was left disappointed in him, but most of all herself, for once again putting a man before her own wants and needs.

Now, if you recall from Episode 4, Ohserase (Shawn Youngchief) came to Zoe’s (Brittany LeBorgne) defence in the coffee shop and the Twitterverse began to wonder if there was life for #Zohserase. This week Zoe came clean and revealed to Ohserase why she dated him: to get her parents off her back. Can I just say, every woman needs an Ohserase in her life! Dude is the perfect boyfriend! At any rate, he was impressed with Zoe’s honesty and bravery! He even attended her jazz class and OH YES! It is safe to say that #ZOHSERASE lives!

No doubt boosted by  Ohserase’s forgiveness and support, Zoe finally mustered up the courage to visit her parents (played by Tantoo Cardinal and Erland Campbell), which predictably, went terribly wrong!

Last week, I was not certain that Bailey (Jenny Pudavick) recognized where the photo of James (Jeffrey Wetsch) and her was taken. This week we learned pretty quickly that indeed, she did know that the photo came from Anna (Maika Harper), and the two come to blows, literally. “This place has turned you into an animal!” But theirs were not the only tempers to fly. Sose (Glen Gould) stopped in to check on Bailey and found her packing to leave Kahnwa:ke. “Your great great great grandchildren will grow up to be those awful white people who say they might have some Indian blood in them. How can  you deny you and your future children their heritage?”

Feeling pressure from her father’s attack, Bailey unloaded on James, listing everything that she must give up in order to be in a relationship with him. However, later, at the same fundraiser that Caitlin had turned down, Bailey presented a cheque in absentia for Auntie Velma. Other benefactors also in attendance came to Bailey’s side, all supporting her decision to be with James, and all disgusted by the behaviours of the Marry Out Get Out movement.

And finally, our misfit Anna, who in the wake of her vicious fight with Bailey, returned to her cultural lessons drunk. Anna was at her breaking point, feeling trapped into the party life she’s fallen into as a means to stay connected to the memory of her father. The instructor of the class reached out to Anna with a bit of cultural perspective. Buoyed by that knowledge she began to recognize the hypocrisy and deep seeded anger within Iostha (Ally Pratt) as they reviewed the quality of the prizes at the fundraiser.

Alright, everyone, this is it. Co-creators Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight have led us to this point. All of our ladies must each make a choice that could mean sacrificing their personal happiness. Will Caitlin choose Butterhead, or Leon or herself? Will Bailey choose to remain with James or choose her responsibility to culture? And, like Bailey, will  Zoe choose herself or her mother’s Mohawk vision for herself? And lastly,  will Anna finally, at long last, find her place in Kahnawa:ke?

How do you think the series will end? Let me know in the comments below!

The series finale of Mohawk Girls airs Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 8:30 p.m. on APTN.

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