Tag Archives: Future History

Jennifer Podemski’s new series, Unsettled, headed to APTN

The last time I spoke to Jennifer Podemski, I reached out to her to discuss Season 2 of her series, Future History. This time around, Podemski contacted me about her newest project.

Unsettled, for APTN and TVO, follows an urban Indigenous family who loses their fortune and must move from Toronto to a Northern Ontario First Nation.

Created, written, directed and executive-produced by Podemski and Hard Rock Medical‘s Derek Diorio, the 10-episode first season of Unsettled stars Cheri Maracle, Brandon Oakes, Tamara Podemski, Wesley French, Pam Mathews, Lawrence Bayne, Mitchell Loon and Albert Owl. Recurring cast includes Michaella Shannon, Glen Gould, Joshua Odjick, Lisa Cromarty, Tasheena Sarazin, Miigwan Buswa, Sid Bobb, Stephanie Aubertin, Willow Podemski-Bedard and Michael Podemski-Bedard.

Shot almost entirely on Nipissing First Nation, Unsettled is the first dramatic series to be funded through the CMF Aboriginal Language Program. Podemski’s open casting call resulted in over 50 Indigenous community members landing roles as principal actors, actors and background performers; out of 55 roles, 50 are Indigenous characters played by Indigenous actors.

Images courtesy of Jennifer Podemski.

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Jennifer Podemski tells stories of Indigenous communities in APTN’s Future History

I can’t get enough of history, especially when it comes to Canada. What I dismissed as boring when I was in high school has become a fascination. And, thanks to APTN, I’ve learned a lot about Indigenous peoples and their stories.

A plethora of tales is told in Season 2 of Jennifer Podemski’s excellent Future History. Airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, the program has really hit its stride in the sophomore go-round as producer-director Podemski follows Indigenous activist and artist Sarain Fox and archaeologist Kris Nahrgang through 13 half-hour episodes. For Nahrgang, this journey is deeply personal. He was raised not knowing anything about his First Nations roots and continues to gain knowledge this year. In the show’s May 14 debut, viewers learned how Nahrgang’s grandmother covered her skin with makeup to look white and joined what Nahrgang’s mother called “white clubs.”

“It’s not a story you often hear,” Podemski says. “Especially in this journey of reclamation, I think that many Canadians who see themselves as white, or non-Native, might never have considered they too might be a Kris.” The idea for Future History came about because of a meeting Podemski had with a production company working with Nahrgang on a possible archaeology project. The actress, writer, producer and director was intrigued at the idea of something historical, but with a future slant. Adding a younger co-host, Podemski reasoned, would polarize not just Nahrgang’s distance from his culture but his age and on-camera experience.

“That also helps people really understand that he is on a very uncomfortable journey,” she says. The uncomfortable feeling really comes through, especially when Nahrgang gamely agrees to attend an Ojibway immersion camp where no English is spoken for days. Fox and Nahrgang visit different areas of the country in their journeys, visiting Southern Ontario locales like Orillia, Peterborough, Kitchener and Manitoulin Island. Their segments are broken up by the Talking Stick, where Indigenous members of the community look straight into the camera to vent frustrations, give advice or voice concerns.

“We were only looking for a minute, but it started a lot of great conversations and I really wanted it to feel not necessarily thematically tied to the episode,” Podemski says. “I wanted it to be a voice from the community, another texture that may be totally unrelated to what we are talking about.

“When we’re telling stories through an Indigenous lens it’s so important to me that we don’t paint them with one brush.”

Future History airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on APTN. You can watch past episodes on APTN.ca.

Image courtesy of APTN.

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Groundbreaking Indigenous docu-series Future History returns for a second season premiering May 14 at 8 p.m. ET on APTN

From a media release:

Following the success of its trailblazing first season, Future History returns to explore stories of Indigenous communities at the forefront of the reclamation movement in Canada. Future History, Season Two (13×30) premieres Tuesday, May 14 2019, at 8 p.m. ET exclusively on APTN East and 8 p.m. MT on APTN West.

This smart, heartfelt docu-series is produced and directed by award-winning Canadian producer and actress Jennifer Podemski (Empire of Dirt, Dance Me Outside, Cardinal, Degrassi: The Next Generation) and co-produced by Geoff Ewart (Empire of Dirt, The Associates, The Border). Future History is written by actress and writer Tamara Podemski (Coroner, Heartland, Four Sheets to the Wind) and co-hosted by notable Indigenous activist and artist Sarain Fox (RISE) and Kris Nahrgang, an archeologist reclaiming his identity. The co-hosts bond together as they explore their own biases and beliefs, journeying into Indigenous communities to meet innovators who are harnessing Indigenous Knowledge as a way to rewrite history and transform their future, ultimately reconnecting with their land and heritage.

Audiences this season can expect to be captivated by a 13-year old water activist and cultural warrior; find joy and get down at a youth dance and music workshop; hear valuable and compassionate stories from a suicide prevention and intervention organization and understand how Indigenous Knowledge is implemented in cutting edge social science research, childbirth and prenatal care, just to name a few. A full list of episode descriptions is available here.

Future History is made possible by the generous support of Canada Media Fund (CMF), Rogers Documentary Fund and APTN.

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Coroner: Tamara Podemski on Alison’s backstory and why landing the role was a “huge triumph” for her

Tamara Podemski has been an acclaimed multi-disciplinary performer for over 25 years, winning a Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Acting for the film Four Sheets to the Wind, appearing in the Broadway cast of Rent and guest-starring in such TV shows as The Rez, Heartland and Cracked. But, despite her impressive resumé, she still has trouble getting into the audition room. Or, at least, she has trouble when the part in question is not specifically Indigenous.

“I think I can count on one hand how many times I’ve played a non-ethnic specific role, where it wasn’t in the character breakdown, where it wasn’t a very culturally specific subject matter,” says Podemski, who is of Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi descent, “and this is one of those opportunities.”

“This,” of course, refers to her scene-stealing turn as Alison Trent on CBC’s hit drama series Coroner.  As Jenny Cooper’s (Serinda Swan) assistant, Alison is passionately professional, fiercely protective of the coroner’s office and a just little bit quirky. She also happens to be Indigenous—a fact the show does not belabour.

And that’s just fine with Podemski.

“It doesn’t mean that I don’t get to represent myself and my community,” she says. “It just means that I get to be who I am.”

To help us get ready for Monday’s new episode, “Confetti Heart,” we gave Podemski a call to learn more about Alison, her first TV writing gig on APTN’s Future History (which airs its Season 1 finale Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET), and why she believes becoming a performer saved her life.

You and your two sisters, Jennifer Podemski and Sarah Podemski, all went into the entertainment business. Why do you think you were all drawn to the industry?
Tamara Podemski: My sisters and I had a traumatic childhood which resulted in my mother leaving our father to raise three girls on his own. We were always singing and dancing around the house, but during those difficult years, the world of make-believe allowed us to process and express what we were going through in a profound way. My father took us to every class, audition and rehearsal and worked his ass off so we could have every opportunity to perform and train. He knew it was helping us cause we were thriving. I believe the arts saved my life and I think it saved my sisters, too.

It never ceases to amaze me, the more I hear of how other artists came into their performing voice or found their voice as a performer, when you hear the stories that this grew out of, there is this consistent yearning for a place to express and move all the stuff that’s inside them. And so, forever, my belief is that the arts heal, the arts empower, and the arts allow you to connect with others. Trauma tends to be a very isolating experience, so if you can have this other thing that allows you to come out of yourself, I think it’s kind of the perfect remedy.

What was your audition process like for Coroner?
TP: Luckily, I was able to go into the room to audition. That is a real rarity these days. We’re in a time of self-tapes, which means actors are in their own home putting an audition on tape or going to an audition facility. Some people love that because you’re less anxious and you get to control the environment a little bit more. Me, on the other hand, I prefer being in the room, I think I thrive when I’m in the room because I have people to bounce off of, and this was a very specific scenario where I think I was really able to show my take on this woman.

It did start out as a self-tape that I did in my bedroom with my husband and I remember the way that I interpreted her—and you don’t have much to go on, you certainly don’t have the director or writer to guide you—it was really just based on my interpretation. And so that quirky very passionate about her work, kind of socially awkward not reading social cues very well, that was all my original interpretation of who Alison Trent was. And I remember my husband saying, ‘Wow, you might want to bring that down a bit,’ because I let the biggest version of her come out. But at least they saw something in that tape that allowed me to come into the room.

I didn’t realize she was as funny, like, when the laughs started coming from how she was—and I only speak about her in the third person because I really feel like she’s so different from me. Usually, I feel closer to some of my characters, but Alison is a force. I follow her. I don’t really tell her what to do or how to be. So in the room, we just had so much fun, and then the best thing is they asked me to do an improv with Serinda of coming to work on my first day and explaining to her what she needs to do to basically operate as the coroner on that first day of work, and I went off. And I feel like whatever I found in that moment was Alison from there on.

Alison is in M.R. Hall’s Coroner books. Did you check those out before filming?
TP: I didn’t read the book because I’d known that Alison is very different in the book, and when I heard that they’d really taken her and went in a different direction, I didn’t feel like that would inform what I was doing. I think if they were trying to bring that character to the screen and honour what that original idea was, I would’ve felt more inclined to do that. But, to me, it sounded like we were creating something new for her.

Also, I do have to say that it was not a culturally or ethnically specific role when I went in for it. The majority of my roles are Native women, and so—even though I knew that we weren’t going to touch on those storylines, or from what I’d read that far—I knew that I was bringing a storyline and a background that wouldn’t be in the books from the UK. So I had to come up with a backstory that really was from scratch. I needed to be informed through an Indigenous lens of why a woman would work in the coroner’s office, of what in her life led her to take that path of justice-seeking, of speaking for the dead. We’re just at a time of these really pivotal moments by coroners, by judges, these court rulings that either bring justice for families, or they don’t. And you can see the public uprising in response to these really critical decisions that are being made. So I felt like, OK, there’s a lot of stuff there that I can use for Alison, why she chose to work in a coroner’s office. And so that was another reason why I thought I need to place her in Toronto and place her as an Indigenous woman, and that wouldn’t have been in the books.

I take it that you’re speaking of the horrific history of murders and missing persons cases involving Indigenous women in Canada. 
TP: Yes.

Do you know if the series will address any of those stories in the future?
TP: I have no idea. But I know that it’s my responsibility to myself, to my community, to my character that I’ve created that she’s got to come from somewhere and she’s got to have a story. Somebody who chooses to work in justice and someone who chooses to be a public servant, there are certain paths that lead someone to that work. And when it is a highly controversial department to work in, when you know that it’s at odds with the people and the community that you represent, I think there are rich and great opportunities to delve into that. If we get a second season, that would be a great opportunity.

Showrunner Morwyn Brebner and executive producer/lead director Adrienne Mitchell have stated that they really wanted to accurately represent Toronto by having a diverse cast and writer’s room. How do you think the rest of Canadian TV is doing with that right now? 
TP: There are a couple of parts to the current climate of diversity onscreen. One is that, yeah, Canadian television is certainly more diverse. I do feel like 25 years ago, though, we had a lot of diversity on television. When we did The Rez, that was an entire Native cast on television, and North of 60 was an entire Native cast on television. It’s been a long time that I’ve been doing this, and it’s the same network, and I guess what I feel that I still have to fight for is, can I get into the room if it’s not a Native character?

So that’s why this job was a huge triumph for me as an ethnic actor—as casting breakdowns say, ‘All ethnicities welcome.’ I am still celebrating every time that I get to go into the room where I get to be the actor with 25 years experience, where I get to represent myself as a woman in the world, where I’m not like a quota checklist. So, that’s why this really stands out. I think I can count on one hand how many times I’ve played a non-ethnic specific role, where it wasn’t in the character breakdown, where it wasn’t a very culturally specific subject matter, and this is one of those opportunities.

It doesn’t mean that I don’t get to represent myself and my community. It just means that I get to be who I am. And that’s just a more realistic picture of who we are, especially as urban Indigenous people. We’re all around. We’re amongst you. 

We got to learn a bit more about Alison in Episode 5 when she was invited to Jenny’s for Thanksgiving. We learned she loves to bake and that she’s having her baby on her own.  Are we going to learn a lot more about her personal life this season?
TP: Yes, we’re going to learn more about her. I like how slowly we are let into her world because I think that that is part of her protection. If you think about her and Jenny, they just met four episodes earlier, and so trust has had to build up in that time, and they certainly have developed a working relationship that has been very respectful and beneficial and supportive, and now we see Alison letting her in a little bit. It’s not that she’s necessarily private, but it seems, for instance, when she meets Sabina [Jeananne Goosen], who is close with Jenny, you just see what happens when Alison feels safe and feels welcome and feels included. She feels very surprised by the [Thanksgiving dinner] invitation. Work is a place of duty and responsibility, she takes her job very seriously, so when it crosses into her personal world, she’s maybe slightly too enthusiastic about it. But I think it’s because she really does have a huge heart, I think it’s very indicative of where she’s at in her life, wanting to have a family of her own, and yet not really having the life that fits the picture that we’re told is the way that we’re meant to make families. And so I really love what happens in Episode 5 where we get to see her in her personal world and why she makes some decisions, and what I love most is the confidence and the courage behind the decisions.

I definitely picked up a romantic vibe between Alison and Sabina, who was very quick to offer her a ride home when she said she wasn’t feeling well. Was I right?
TP: Yes! Its hard for me to talk about, because I know what was shot, and I know what we all knew, but it’s always very different how much is revealed to the viewer and what comes across. But if that did come across, that’s great. Because that’s where it was going.

What can you preview about Episode 6?
TP: We get a lot more time with Alison. There’s still great drama and some crazy mysteries that are happening, but Episode 6 does let us into Alison’s personal relationships. Mostly, we’ve seen Alison in the work mode, and what happens with this mid-season shift into these more personal interactions with everybody—just going into Jenny’s home and seeing the family and work people all intermingling—that is a shift. I think it’s a beautiful move into the deeper level of the interpersonal connections between everyone.

You are also working on the APTN documentary series Future History with your sister, Jennifer. How is that going? 
TP: We just finished Season 2, and Season 1 is on the air right now. We were actually writing Season 2 while we were shooting Coroner, so I had to set up my trailer like a little production office and in between scenes, I would go and work on that. It wasn’t the most fun. It made for a very challenging time, but it’s been one of my favourite and most challenging jobs to write this documentary series. It has been a source of inspiration because I get to find and interview the participants that we feature on the show. Each episode has three what we call Rematriation Warriors, people who are reclaiming their Indigeneity, and through language, through policy, they are shifting the colonial narrative in Canada. So interviewing these people is pretty life-changing, to get the one-on-one experience. These are very difficult people to get on the phone, so I feel very blessed to have been the writer of this show. My sister did take a chance on me by giving me my first television writing gig. Thankfully, I delivered, so she brought me back for Season 2.

Coroner airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Jennifer Podemski’s Future History premieres November 13th on APTN

From a media release:

Jennifer Podemski, President of Redcloud Studios Inc. is pleased to announce that Future History, a doc series (13 x .30) celebrating Indigenous knowledge reclamation, will premiere November 13th at 7:30 pm ET exclusively on APTN East & HD and 7:30 pm MT on APTN West.

Future History follows two passionate, and polar opposite, Anishinaabe (Ojibway) hosts Sarain Fox and Kris Nahrgang as they venture into their community to gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous Knowledge and the movement of cultural revitalization. For generations across North America, Indigenous People have been reeling from the devastating effects of colonialism that has left children, language, ceremony and culture at risk. But today, a movement of reclamation and revitalization is being led by Indigenous People who are harnessing Indigenous Knowledge as a way to shift the colonial paradigm and build a brighter future for the next generation. From Arts and Science to the Justice System, the resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge is stronger than ever. Future History is a journey of discovery through an Indigenous lens, a journey that will inspire and enlighten all audiences.

Future History is produced by Geoff Ewart and Jennifer Podemski. Executive Producers are Janice Dawe and Kathy Avrich-Johnson of Bizable Media. Directed by Jennifer Podemski. Series made possible by the generous support of Canada Media Fund (CMF), Rogers Documentary Fund and APTN

Jennifer Podemski has been acting since she was a teen. Her career blossomed when she landed the role of Pique in The Diviners and then a starring role in Bruce McDonald’s Dance Me Outside. Of mixed First Nations and Israeli descent, she soon noticed the lack of First Nations people writing, producing and directing screened entertainment. At 25, she opened Big Soul Productions with Laura Milliken, which produced three seasons of the award-winning dramatic television series Mocassin Flats. In 2005, Podemski branched out on her own and founded Redcloud Studios Inc, an independent production company dedicated to pushing forward Indigenous narratives across all platforms. Her work as a producer also includes the paranormal documentary series The Other Side, The Indspire Awards, and the award-winning, critically acclaimed feature film Empire of Dirt for which Jennifer was nominated for a 2015 Canadian Screen Award for both supporting actress and producer. She has maintained a successful career as an actor with roles in Degrassi: TNG, The Rez (Gemini nomination), Republic of Doyle, Take This Waltz, Jimmy P., Blackstone, Sensitive Skin, FireSong, Hard Rock Medical and the upcoming fourth season of Cardinal on CTV and Hulu.

Kris Nahrgang is Mississauga (Ojibway) with Treaty Status held at Curve Lake. A multi-disciplinary artist working in wood, stone and traditional oil mediums, Kris’s work can be found in numerous private and corporate collection including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, singer Anne Murray, comedian Bill Cosby, singer Keech Rainwater (of Lonestar), Nik Antropov (Atlanta Thrashers), Brian Skinner (Phoenix Suns). Kris is an archeologist by training who has advocated on behalf of First Nations across Ontario for over 20 years. An experienced diver, Kris began an undergraduate degree in anthropology at Trent University, and has worked in a close relationship with underwater archaeologists at Parks Canada, mainly along the Trent Severn. Kris has attempted to establish a cultural heritage/archaeological research and curatorial facility that will serve the needs of a large group of the smaller southern Ontario native communities. He served as a member of the advisory committee struck by the Ministry of Culture to contribute to the development of new Stage 1-4 archaeological assessment technical guidelines. Recently Kris was commissioned by the Canadian National Exhibition to produce a 36’ UNITY POLE (Totem). The Pole was unveiled at the CNE in August of 2017, receiving national and international acclaim from both the public and media.

Of Anishinaabe lineage, Sarain Fox is a multi-disciplinary performer and passionate spokesperson for her community and culture. Sarain studied at the Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre, the Quinte Ballet School and the Alvin Ailey Bachelor of Fine Arts Program in New York City. She has performed at The Canada Dance Festival 2008, The Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival VIII, the 2002, 2007 and 2012 Aboriginal Achievement Awards, and two summers with the Ajkun Ballet Theatre Company in New York City. As a member of Kahawaii Dance theatre, Sarain has attended three indigenous dance residencies at The Banff Centre, which allowed her to work with Neil Iremia of Black Grace and Javier Dezule of Dezule dance. Sarain is currently the newest member of Untitled Collective; a NYC based Australian aboriginal modern dance collective. On and off the dance floor, this stellar entity of artistic expulsion is truly always on her toes. Other endeavors for Sarain include the debut of her first play entitled Ashes which appeared at the Weesageechak Festival in Toronto and most recently; Sarain completed The New York Film Academy’s, acting for film program. Sarain is currently the host of RISE on VICE Canada.

Redcloud Studios Inc. is an independent production company owned and operated by award winning actor and producer, Jennifer Podemski. Redcloud Studios is dedicated to strengthening aboriginal visibility in the film and television industry, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Jennifer has traveled to over 2,000 Native communities throughout Canada and the US, using her media empowerment module to encourage youth to use the medium to speak out and effect change. Whether it’s mainstream drama, provocative documentary, intensive training or live theatre, Redcloud Studios is committed to breaking down barriers and paving the way for the future generation of media makers.

APTN launched in 1999 as the first national Indigenous broadcaster in the world, creating a window into the remarkably diverse mosaic of Indigenous Peoples. A respected non-profit, charitable broadcaster and the only one of its kind in North America. Sharing our stories of authenticity in English, French and a variety of Indigenous languages, to approximately 11 million Canadian TV subscribers. With over 80% Canadian content, APTN connects with its audience through genuine, inspiring, and engaging entertainment through multiple platforms.

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