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We Are The Warriors
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Filmmaker Name:
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David Camlin & Megan Grumbling
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Film Length:
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72 min
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Film Year:
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2023
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Duration:
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46-75 min
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Decade:
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2020s
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Region:
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North America
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Subject:
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Indigenous Studies
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For nearly 70 years, students and alumni of Wells High School in Maine have called themselves the “Warriors.” Their yearbook, the Abenaki, was named for the Indigenous people the town’s settlers first encountered in the 1600s. And the school mascot was a stoic Native American head in profile with braids and feathered headband. When, in 2017, public allegations emerged that Warriors fans made “Indian” whooping calls and donned “war paint,” the community began a process to decide whether to keep or drop their long-held mascot. We Are The Warriors follows the proceedings of the school district’s Mascot Advisory Committee and draws on interviews with residents of Wells, Maine to paint a profile of one community’s process as they confront their history and identity, challenging long-held misconceptions about the meanings behind their team’s name.
The film’s Co-Directors, both graduates of Wells High School, gathered interviews and insights from residents of Wells and Wabanaki people from what is now Maine, Québec, and the Canadian Maritimes. Revelations about the town’s brutal colonial history and difficult conversations about the actual impact of the use of the mascot were key to changing hearts and minds of committee members. The film highlights evolving opinions of residents with a secondary focus on the history of the region. After months of informed consideration, the committee votes to recommend that the school board retire the mascot.
We Are the Warriors serves as a case study for how one community contends with the legacy of settler colonialism and speaks to national issues regarding misunderstandings about the role and place of indigenous people in American society.
SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS
Maine Public Television, USA, 2024
Vermont Public Television, USA, 2024
Port Jefferson Documentary Series, USA, 2024
Tourmaline Prize for Best Feature made in Maine, 26th Maine Int'l Film Festival, USA 2023
Global Peace Film Festival, USA, 2023
Monadnock Int'l Film Festival, USA, 2023
We Are The Warriors
Featuring
Rick Coyne
Donna Loring
Maulian Dana
Tim Roche
Sarah Moody
Jim Daly
Amelia Tuplin
Karen Tufts
Barbara Giammarino
Jus Crea Giammarino
Joan “June” Lane
Darren Ranco
Bill Spiller
Mali Obomsawin
Harry Tomah
Joseph Hardy
Megan Schneider
James E. Francis Sr.
Sherri Mitchell
Rochelle Greenwood
David Cilley
Eileen Conlon
John Hayes
Sue Butler
Jon Finch
Timothy Marten
Joe Searles
Pierce Cole
Karen MacNeill
Chad Desmarais
Directors
David Camlin
Megan Grumbling
Producer
David Camlin
Joanna Weaver
Megan Grumbling
Associate ProducerJohnny Gagnon Jr.
Sierra Henries
Camera & SoundDavid Camlin
David Huot
Johnny Gagnon Jr.
Joanna Weaver
Ryan Jarochym
Sophie Joyce
Amy Grumbling
Aerial FootageBilly Corcoran V
Johnny Gagnon Jr.
Film ScoreMali Obomsawin
Sam Kassirer
MusiciansJason Brown
Eric Green
Mali Obomsawin
Dwayne Tomah
Post Production Consultant
Mali Obomsawin
Research Assistant
Ann Archino Howe
Advisor
Osihkiyol Crofton-Macdonald
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