The Rez

Last updated

The Rez
The Rez TV series official cover.jpg
GenreDrama
Based on Dance Me Outside (film) by Bruce McDonald
Dance Me Outside (short story collection) by W. P. Kinsella
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes19
Production
Executive producers
Original release
Network CBC

The Rez is a Canadian drama television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1996 to 1998. Bruce McDonald and Norman Jewison were executive producers of the series, which chronicled life in an Ojibwe community. The series is based on the short story collection Dance Me Outside by W. P. Kinsella and its 1994 film adaptation by McDonald. It was cancelled after two seasons. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Cast

Production

Bruce McDonald was executive producer with Norman Jewison. Most of the characters were based on W. P. Kinsella's short story collection Dance Me Outside, which had been made into a film by McDonald.

The series was filmed in the Parry Sound region at Harrison Landing in Carling Township. All episodes run around 23 minutes. [4]

The name of the reservation, "Kidabaneesee", is a word made up by the producers.

Episodes and synopsis

Initial Movie (1994)
Dance Me Outside (84 minutes)
Season 1 (1996–1997)
  1. Dressed Like a Fish - The marina's owner dies. For fun Frank stages his own mock funeral with the others. Who will take over the marina?
  2. Golf and Politics - Sadie organizes a boycott against the bar/marina and insists that Silas and Frank quit working for Eleanor, the new owner.
  3. A Little Revealing - Sadie showcases her revealing wear to Silas after Silas is asked to become a male stripper.
  4. The Longhouse - Frank locks Lucy in a shack in hopes she will think and reconsider her plans to leave for Toronto.
  5. The Lark - Silas' mentally impaired brother goes to a group home.
  6. Dirty Girls, Kill Kill! - Frank hires strippers to fight in a vat of pudding to raise money. Sadie is upset by what she sees as sexism.
Season 2 (1997–1998)
  1. Strange Bedfellows - A stranger comes to run for chief versus Chief Tom. Sadie backs him at first, until Charlie digs up his past (and present) behavior.
  2. They Call Her Tanya - Eleanor's daughter is introduced to the Rez. All the boys are looking her way.
  3. Poster Girl - Local girls are asked to try out to become a cover-girl for a clothing line. Sadie is against it at first, but—when she is chosen as the model—she changes her tune.
  4. Like Father, Like Son - Silas' birth father comes back to the Rez, but Silas is not happy about it. His father is given the sentence of living alone on an island to win back the respect of the locals.
  5. Granted - The reservation band announces a $5000 youth grant.
  6. Lust - Silas' challenged brother, Joseph, traumatizes a young girl with unwanted touch.
  7. Windigo - Silas and Frank think they are cursed and must fight and defeat the Windigo spirit.
  8. No Way to Treat a Lady - Frank likes Tanya, but Tanya likes Charlie, which causes friction at a party. More friction is happening elsewhere when Eleanor and Simone are being hit on by three troublemakers at a bar.
  9. A Rock and a Hard Place - Charlie and Tanya's relationship grows. Meanwhile, he, Silas and Frank are working for a racist construction foreman. Frank gets revenge on the foreman in an explosive finale.
  10. Der deutsche Indianer - A German historian comes to the Rez to learn some native stories from Silas and Frank. The only problem is that he knows more native stories and history than the boys do.
  11. Too Many Chiefs - Sadie takes over from Chief Tom.
  12. No Reservations Part 1 - Silas finds Sadie in bed with another man. Frank sees Lucy working the streets of Toronto.
  13. No Reservations Part 2 - Frank tries to rescue Lucy from working the streets. Silas wants Sadie back.

Awards and nominations

At the 1997 Gemini Awards, Jennifer Podemski was nominated for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role" for the episode "Golf and Politics". [4]

At the 1998 Gemini Awards, Patricia Collins was nominated for "Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series" for the episode "They Call Her Tanya". Producer Brian Dennis was also awarded the Canada Choice Award for this episode. [4] Also at the 1998 Gemini Awards, Ryan Rajendra Black was nominated for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role" for the episode "Lust". [4]

Etymology for Title of Film

The word rez is American English for reservation and signifies an area of land held and governed by Native American tribal nation that is legally recognized by the United States federal government.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathy Jones</span> Canadian actress, comedian and writer (born 1955)

Catherine Frederica "Cathy" Jones is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is known for her work for 28 years on the Canadian television series This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Jones left the show in 2021.

Riverdale is a Canadian prime time television soap opera, which ran for three seasons from 1997 to 2000. The series was set in the Toronto community of Riverdale, focusing on a variety of characters and their interactions in everyday life.

Glen Gould is an Indigenous Canadian actor, director and producer of Miꞌkmaq and Italian descent. Between 2016 and 2020, he played the role of detective Jerry Commanda on the television series Cardinal.

<i>Dance Me Outside</i> 1994 Canadian film

Dance Me Outside is a 1994 Canadian drama film, directed by Bruce McDonald. It was based on a book by W.P. Kinsella.

<i>Footballers Wives</i> 2002 British TV series or programme

Footballers' Wives is a British television drama about fictional Premier League football club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives, broadcast on ITV from 2002 to 2006. The show initially focuses on three very different couples, but from the third series onward revolves around a complex love triangle between Tanya Turner, Amber Gates, and Conrad Gates.

<i>Ready or Not</i> (Canadian TV series) 1993 Canadian TV series or program

Ready or Not is a Canadian teen drama television series that aired on the Showtime Movie Channel and later on The Disney Channel and Global Television Network for five seasons and 65 episodes between 1993 and 1997 in both Canada and the United States.

<i>Scalped</i> (comics) Comic

Scalped is a 60-issue crime/western comic book series written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by R. M. Guéra, published monthly by Vertigo Comics. Issue #1 was published on January 3, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy MacDonald's Canada</span>

Jimmy MacDonald's Canada: The Lost Episodes is an eight-episode Canadian television series that aired on CBC Television in the summer of 2005.

Derek McGrath is a Canadian actor and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Tootoosis</span> Canadian actor

Gordon Tootoosis, was a First Nations actor of Cree and Stoney descent. Tootoosis was a descendant of Yellow Mud Blanket, brother of the famous Cree leader Poundmaker. He was acclaimed for his commitment to preserving his culture and to telling his people's stories. He once said, "Leadership is about submission to duty, not elevation to power." He served as a founding member of the board of directors of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company. Tootoosis offered encouragement, support and training to aspiring Aboriginal actors. He served as a leading Cree activist both as a social worker and as a band chief. In Open Season and Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run, Tootoosis was the voice of Sheriff Gordy.

Moccasin Flats is a Canadian drama television series that ran for three full seasons. The show, which has aired on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and Showcase Television since 2004, is co-produced by Big Soul Productions Inc. (Toronto) and Stephen Onda Productions Inc. (Regina). It takes place in Moccasin Flats, Regina, Saskatchewan, an urban reserve where the inhabitants struggle to maintain their cultural identity while overcoming poverty, gangs, violence, and racism. The series features award-nominated actor Andrea Menard and original music by Donald Quan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jani Lauzon</span> Canadian puppeteer

Jani Lauzon is a Canadian director, and multidisciplinary performer of Métis, French, and Finnish ancestry from East Kootenay, British Columbia. Lauzon resides in Toronto, Ontario.

Silvio Narizzano was a Canadian film and television director, who lived and worked primarily in the United Kingdom. He is best known for directing the acclaimed 1966 comedy-drama film Georgy Girl, which is considered a classic of the Swinging London era. He was also a prolific director of television dramas.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's 13th Gemini Awards were held on October 4, 1998, to honour achievements in Canadian television.. The awards show, which was hosted by Ronnie Edwards and Kenny Robinson, took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and was broadcast on CBC Television.

<i>Reel Injun</i> 2009 Canadian documentary directed by Neil Diamond

Reel Injun is a 2009 Canadian documentary film directed by Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge, and Jeremiah Hayes that explores the portrayal of Native Americans in film. Reel Injun is illustrated with excerpts from classic and contemporary portrayals of Native people in Hollywood movies and interviews with filmmakers, actors and film historians, while director Diamond travels across the United States to visit iconic locations in motion picture as well as American Indian history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Podemski</span> Canadian actress

Jennifer Podemski is a Canadian film and television actress and producer.

Wanda Nanibush is an Anishinaabe curator, artist and educator based in Toronto, Ontario. From 2016 to 2023, she held the position of the inaugural curator of Indigenous Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

<i>Wild Bill</i> (TV series) British television series

Wild Bill is a British television drama series which premiered on ITV on 12 June 2019. The series stars executive producer Rob Lowe, and six episodes were commissioned in October 2018.

<i>Reservation Dogs</i> American comedy-drama television series

Reservation Dogs is an American comedy-drama television series created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi for FX Productions. It follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma, as they spend their days hanging out and committing crimes to earn enough money to leave their reservation community.

Ryan Rajendra Black is a Canadian actor, most noted for his leading role as Silas Crow in the 1994 film Dance Me Outside and its spinoff television series The Rez.

References

  1. "Ten portrayals of Aboriginal people on film and TV in the last 50 years | Trailbreakers with Don Kelly | CBC Radio". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  2. "Blackstone is a top Notch Canadian Show You Need to Binge Watch now". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  3. "Kim's Convenience and Canadian television's diversity problem". TVO. October 18, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "The Rez ‹ Shadow Shows". www.shadowshows.com. Retrieved April 14, 2017.