Finding Dawn (2006): Violence Against Indigenous Women Essay (Movie Review)

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The topic of the presentation

This presentation discusses the way in which the problem of violence against Indigenous women is explored in the film Finding Dawn. This movie shows that these victims face two significant challenges such as poverty and racial prejudice (Finding Dawn). These are some of the main obstacles that they often have to surmount.

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One of the issues that should be considered is that these victims often remain anonymous to the general public, and people do not know much about their experiences and the underlying causes of their increased victimization. This problem is particularly important if one speaks about the treatment of reports about missing Indigenous women (Emberley 13).

The media as well as police officers do not pay much attention to the hardships encountered by these people who are more likely to be victimized (Finding Dawn). On the whole, the presentation was successful because we were able to examine the historical, thematic and formal aspects of this film and its major message.

For instance, it was possible to discuss particular cases showing that many victims of abuse do not receive sufficient support from the community. For example, police officers do not attach much importance to their complaints (Finding Dawn; Emberley 13). Moreover, this discussion of the movie illustrates how Christine Welsh, the director of the movie examines the life of the victims and their relatives. Thus, it is possible to say that this analysis of the film has been an informative and thought-provoking activity.

Overall, this topic was chosen for several reasons. First of all, in this way, one can better illustrate the main intentions of the authors and their portrayal of various events related to the suffering of Indigenous women. Apart from that, this question should be discussed because it is related to many conflicts existing in the Canadian society.

There are several strengths and weaknesses of this topic. First of all, this discussion emphasizes the social problems that have profound implications for the lives of many people in Canada. In particular, in this way, one can demonstrate Indigenous women properly uphold their rights, and why crimes against them often go undetected by the police officers or news reporters (Finding Dawn).

In turn, the weakness of this approach is that not much attention was paid to the formal elements of this movie and the techniques that the authors applied. Nevertheless, despite this limitation, this presentation is quite productive.

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The main thesis of the presentation

The main argument is that the authors of Finding Dawn humanize the problem of violence against indigenous people through the representation of people and spaces. In other words, the film-makers focus on individual stories of women who became the victims of violence.

They also tell how the relatives of these women view the actions of police and journalists (Finding Dawn). These individual narratives are often overlooked by the representatives of the media, who do not speak about these cases very often. The main strength of Finding Dawn is that it enables the viewers to learn more about the fate missing Indigenous women. These stories were mostly absent from the public discourse (Valaskakis 181).

This is one of the reasons why so many of them do not receive proper protection from the government at the time they need this help. It seems that this argument was successfully developed in the course of this presentation and this thesis is helpful the main ideas of Finding Dawn. By looking at this movie from this perspective, one can better understand the value of this movie.

Nevertheless, this argument could have been further elaborated. In particular, it is possible to focus on the opinions of people who investigate the cases of violence against Indigenous women. By looking at the attitudes of these individuals, one can better understand why so many the victims of violence are usually underpowered by the state (Valaskakis 181).

These people can tell more about the interactions with the women who suffered from abuse. Unfortunately, this theme was not fully explored in the film Finding Dawn. Still, the main argument of this presentation is useful for analyzing the relations between Indigenous population of Canada and the state which often excludes these stakeholders from public discourse (Valaskakis 181).

The problem is that poverty and racial discrimination can adversely influence the wellbeing of these people, especially if they represent the minority of the population. This question should be taken into account by political activists, journalists, and legislators who are responsible for ensuring that citizens of Canada have equal opportunities at least in the court.

The perception of the movie

This presentation has enabled me to better appreciate the film Finding Dawn and its importance for the Canadian society and its impact on the public opinion. In my view, this movie can bring many benefits to the Canadian community because it can raise people’s awareness about various problems that exist in the country. In particular, it can highlight the disparities existing in the society and the origins of these disparities.

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As it has been noted before, such aspects as racial discrimination and poverty place the members of the Indigenous population at a disadvantage. Apart from that, women are even at greater risk of being oppressed. This phenomenon can be called double jeopardy (Valaskakis 181).

Furthermore, this question has not been fully examined by the media. More importantly, the creators of this movie emphasize the importance of social activism as a means of eradicating these inequalities. Such an approach can be instrumental for changing the work of mass media agencies or governmental organizations that should empower the victims of violence and their families.

So, social activists can bring significant improvements into the life of the community in which the legacies of racism are still noticeable. This is one of the main points that can be made. Therefore, Finding Dawn is one of those works that can help people better appreciate the obstacles encountered by Indigenous women.

Overall, this work is vital for showing that Indigenous population of Canada faces a great number of challenges. One should not suppose that they are discriminated on the basis of race and their income level. It is possible to argue that racial rhetoric affects the attitudes of many people, especially those one who work in governmental organizations.

Finding Dawn highlights this problem and explains its origins. Therefore, one can argue that this cinematographic work is important for describing the experiences of Indigenous women who are often underprivileged. Furthermore, this presentation has demonstrated that social activities can play a crucial rule in addressing this problem.

Works Cited

Emberley, Julia. Defamiliarizing the aboriginal: cultural practices and decolonization in Canada, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007. Print.

Finding Dawn. Ex. Prod. Christine Welsh. Toronto: National Film Board of Canada. 2006. DVD.

Valaskakis, Gail. Restoring the Balance: First Nations Women, Community, and Culture, Ottawa: Univ. of Manitoba Press, 2009. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2022) 'Finding Dawn (2006): Violence Against Indigenous Women'. 1 July.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "Finding Dawn (2006): Violence Against Indigenous Women." July 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/presentation-and-discussion-self-assessment/.

1. IvyPanda. "Finding Dawn (2006): Violence Against Indigenous Women." July 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/presentation-and-discussion-self-assessment/.


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IvyPanda. "Finding Dawn (2006): Violence Against Indigenous Women." July 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/presentation-and-discussion-self-assessment/.

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