Michelle Latimer

Latimer was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario.{{Cite web|url=http://www.michellelatimer.ca/about/|title=About {{!}} Streel Films {{!}} Michelle Latimer|website=www.michellelatimer.ca|access-date=2017-01-17}} Latimer later studied theatre at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.{{Cite web|url=http://ctr.concordia.ca/2001-02/May_23/19-Latimer/index.shtml|title=Concordia's Thursday Report|website=ctr.concordia.ca|access-date=2017-01-17}}

Latimer initially garnered recognition for portraying goth teen Trish Simpkin in Paradise Falls.{{Cite web|url=http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/campy-soap-dives-between-the-sheets-in-cottage-country-in-third-season-of-paradise-falls-534069931.html|title=Campy Soap Dives Between the Sheets in Cottage Country in Third Season of Paradise Falls|website=www.newswire.ca|access-date=2017-01-17|archive-date=2018-01-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119175431/https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/campy-soap-dives-between-the-sheets-in-cottage-country-in-third-season-of-paradise-falls-534069931.html|url-status=dead}} Aside from Paradise Falls, Latimer has had limited roles in other television productions. In 2004, she had two guest appearances on the low budget Canadian series Train 48. She also had a minor appearance in the 2004 film Resident Evil: Apocalypse.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1005753/|title=Michelle Latimer|website=IMDb|access-date=2017-01-17}}

After Paradise Falls, she returned to the stage, starring in Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, written by Brad Fraser.{{Cite web|url=http://www.stage-door.com/Theatre/2004/Entries/2004/4/6_Unidentified_Human_Remains_and_the_True_Nature_of_Love.html|title=Review - Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love - Crow's Theatre, Toronto - Christopher Hoile|website=www.stage-door.com|access-date=2017-01-17}} She performed the play in 2004 at Crow's Theatre in Toronto and she played Benita, a psychic prostitute. Like Paradise Falls, the play also had some controversy for its open depiction of sexuality.

Latimer later produced and directed an animated film titled Choke, which was funded by bravoFACT and screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was one of five animated shorts nominated for a Genie Award in 2011.{{cite news |url=http://blog.bcdb.com/animated-shorts-nominated-genie-award-2730/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707091242/http://blog.bcdb.com/animated-shorts-nominated-genie-award-2730/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 July 2012 |title=Five animated shorts nominated for Genie Award |first=Ethan |last=Minovitz |newspaper=Big Cartoon News |date=17 January 2012 |access-date=17 January 2012 }}

Since the early 2010s, Latimer has dedicated her time to documentary filmmaking.{{Cite news|url=http://rabble.ca/columnists/2013/10/filmmaker-explores-agony-solitary-confinement-canada|title=Filmmaker explores agony of solitary confinement in Canada|newspaper=rabble.ca|access-date=2017-01-17}} In 2013, she made her feature film directorial debut Alias, which "follows aspiring rappers trying to escape the gangster life."{{Citation|last=Latimer|first=Michelle|title=Alias|date=2013-04-01|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948222/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_5|access-date=2017-01-17}} The film received positive reviews, was nominated for several awards,{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2013/04/fatlabs-composer-vikas-kohli-heads-to-cannes-and-hotdocs-video-198256/|title=FatLabs Composer Vikas Kohli Heads to Cannes and HotDocs (VIDEO) {{!}} IndieWire|last=Lattanzio|first=Ryan|website=www.indiewire.com|date=25 April 2013 |access-date=2017-01-17}} including for a Canadian Screen Award,{{Cite news|url=http://www.nsi-canada.ca/2015/01/canadian-screen-award-nominations-18-projects-from-17-nsi-alumni/|title=Canadian Screen Award nominations: 19 projects from 18 alumni|date=2015-01-14|newspaper=National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-17}} and screened at the Hot Docs Film Festival.{{Cite news|url=http://www.ioncinema.com/reviews/alias-review|title=Alias {{!}} Hot Docs 2013 Review|newspaper=U.S. Indie News, Filmmaker Interviews, Film Festivals, Movie Reviews {{!}} Ioncinema|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-17}} Also in 2013, she was chosen as one of Playback's "10 To Watch".{{Cite web|url=http://playbackonline.ca/2013/09/05/the-2013-10-to-watch-michelle-latimer/|title=The 2013 10 To Watch: Michelle Latimer|access-date=2017-01-17}}

Latimer's Viceland documentary series, titled Rise, which focuses on the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests, premiered at the Special Events section of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2017/01/13/canadians-set-to-rise-up-and-shake-up-sundance-and-slamdance-howell.html|first=Peter|last=Howell|title=Canadians set to Rise up and shake up Sundance and Slamdance |website=Toronto Star|date=January 13, 2017}} The series won a Canadian Screen Award at the 6th annual ceremony in 2018. While accepting the award, Latimer delivered what was described by CBC News as "one of the night's most passionate speeches", in which she celebrated Indigenous resistance at Standing Rock.

In 2020, she was announced as the creator, writer, and director of the drama series Trickster.Jane van Koeverden, [https://www.cbc.ca/books/cast-revealed-for-cbc-s-upcoming-series-the-trickster-1.5285735 "Cast revealed for CBC's upcoming series, The Trickster"]. CBC Books, September 18, 2019. In advance of the television premiere, two episodes of the series was screened in the Primetime program at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival,{{cite web|last1=Ahearn|first1=Victoria|date=July 30, 2020|title=TIFF announces all 50 titles for pandemic-tailored 2020 event|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/tiff/2020/07/30/tiff-announces-all-50-titles-for-pandemic-tailored-2020-event.html|access-date=October 8, 2020|website=Toronto Star}} and at the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival in Sudbury.[https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/local-news/sudbury-festivals-adapting-to-covid-19 "Sudbury festivals adapting to COVID-19"]. Sudbury Star, September 2, 2020.

Trickster premiered on CBC Television on October 7, 2020.{{cite web|last1=Hank|first1=Melissa|date=May 28, 2020|title=CBC announces new fall TV series, returning favourites|url=https://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/cbc-announces-new-fall-tv-series-returning-favourites|access-date=October 8, 2020|website=O Canada}} She adapted the series from Eden Robinson's 2017 novel Son of a Trickster.{{cite web|last1=van Koeverden|first1=Jane|date=May 29, 2019|title=Adaptation of Eden Robinson's Trickster series coming to CBC-TV|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/adaptation-of-eden-robinson-s-trickster-series-coming-to-cbc-tv-1.5154227|access-date=October 8, 2020|website=CBC}}{{cite web|title=Trickster – About the Show|url=https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/program/trickster|access-date=October 8, 2020|website=CBC Media Centre}}{{cite web|last1=van Koeverden|first1=Jane|date=September 18, 2019|title=Cast revealed for CBC's upcoming series, The Trickster|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/cast-revealed-for-cbc-s-upcoming-series-the-trickster-1.5285735|access-date=8 October 2020|website=CBC}} The series centres on Jared, an Indigenous Haisla teenager and small-time drug dealer in Kitimat, British Columbia, who becomes increasingly aware of the magical events that seem to follow him. The series was renewed for a second season prior to the first season's premiere;Lauren Malyk, [https://playbackonline.ca/2020/05/27/upfronts-20-cbc-renews-trickster-ahead-of-premiere/ "Upfronts '20: CBC renews Trickster ahead of premiere"]. Playback, May 27, 2020. the second season is expected to be based on Trickster Drift, the second novel in Robinson's trilogy. The CW acquired the U.S. broadcast rights for the series, which premiered in the country on January 12, 2021.{{cite web|last=Pedersen|first=Erik|date=October 29, 2020|title=The CW Sets Season Premiere Dates For 'Flash', 'Batwoman', 'Riverdale', 'Nancy Drew', 'Charmed', 'Walker' Reboot & More|url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/the-cw-premiere-dates-flash-batwoman-riverdale-walker-all-american-charmed-nancy-drew-1234605685/|access-date=October 30, 2020|work=Deadline Hollywood}} In its December 2020 year in review, the Canadian film and television industry magazine Playback named Trickster the Scripted Series of the Year.Jordan Pinto, [https://playbackonline.ca/2020/12/14/scripted-series-of-the-year-trickster/ "Scripted Series of the Year 2020: Trickster: How the coming-of-age drama from Streel Films and Sienna Films has created a new narrative around Indigenous storytelling and become a red-hot commodity in an international marketplace hungry for new voices"]. Playback, December 14, 2020.

Latimer's documentary film, Inconvenient Indian, also premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Adapted from Thomas King's non-fiction book The Inconvenient Indian, the film presents a history of the indigenous peoples in Canada.Ryan Porter, [https://quillandquire.com/omni/film-adaptations-of-indigenous-bestsellers-the-inconvenient-indian-the-trickster-series-to-premiere-at-tiff/ "Film adaptations of Indigenous bestsellers The Inconvenient Indian, the Trickster series to premiere at TIFF"]. Quill & Quire, July 30, 2020. The film blends scenes in which King, filmed in a taxi cab being driven by actress Gail Maurice in character as an indigenous trickster, narrates portions of his own book, blended with video clips of historical representation of indigenous peoples as well as segments profiling modern figures, such as Kent Monkman, Christi Belcourt, A Tribe Called Red, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and Nyla Innuksuk, who are reshaping the narrative with their contemporary work in art, music, literature and film.Radheyan Simonpillai, [https://www.straight.com/movies/viff-review-inconvenient-indian-is-made-with-love "VIFF review: Inconvenient Indian is made with love"]. The Georgia Straight, September 15, 2020.

At the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, Inconvenient Indian won the People's Choice Award for Documentaries and the award for Best Canadian Film. For Now and The Georgia Straight, Radheyan Simonpillai praised the film. The film was named to TIFF's year-end Canada's Top Ten list for feature films.Victoria Ahearn, [https://www.squamishchief.com/toronto-international-film-festival-releases-top-ten-lists-for-2020-1.24252475 "Toronto International Film Festival releases Top Ten lists for 2020"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104154028/https://www.squamishchief.com/toronto-international-film-festival-releases-top-ten-lists-for-2020-1.24252475 |date=January 4, 2021}}. Squamish Chief, December 9, 2020.

Latimer also works as a film curator; she is a programmer for the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, the Hot Docs Film Festival and is a programming advisor for Winnipeg Film Group's Cinematheque and the Regent Park Film Festival.

Through much of her career, Latimer identified as having Algonquin and Métis heritage, based on a family oral history of Indigenous ancestry in the province of Quebec. In interviews, Latimer has said that her father is French-Canadian and that her mother is Algonquin and Métis.Barry Hertz, [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-i-made-a-mistake-canadian-filmmaker-michelle-latimer-addresses/ "'I made a mistake': Canadian filmmaker Michelle Latimer addresses Indigenous ancestry questions"]. The Globe and Mail, December 17, 2020. In a September 2020 interview about her film and TV projects, she stated that her mother had a complicated relationship with her mixed race identity.{{Cite news|last=Simonpillai|first=Radheyan|date=2020-09-08|title=Filmmaker Michelle Latimer reclaims Indigenous storytelling with Trickster and Inconvenient Indian|work=Georgia Straight|url=https://www.straight.com/movies/filmmaker-michelle-latimer-reclaims-indigenous-storytelling-with-trickster-and-inconvenient|access-date=2021-01-13}}

In December 2020, her Indigenous identity came into question after a National Film Board (NFB) press release announcing the release of her film Inconvenient Indian stated a connection to the community of Kitigan Zibi in Quebec, which the community denied.Ka'nhehsí:io Deer and Jorge Barrera, [https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/michelle-latimer-kitigan-zibi-indigenous-identity-1.5845310 "Award-winning filmmaker Michelle Latimer's Indigenous identity under scrutiny"]. CBC News Indigenous, December 17, 2020. Latimer subsequently apologized for having claimed historical roots to the Kitigan Zibi community before fully verifying them, and resigned from the production of her television series Trickster,Barry Hertz, [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-michelle-latimer-resigns-from-cbcs-trickster-week-after-addressing/ "Michelle Latimer resigns from CBC's Trickster week after addressing questions of Indigenous ancestry"]. The Globe and Mail, December 21, 2020. after the husband and wife producing team of Tony Elliott and Danis Goulet resigned from the show, citing the questions and criticism about Latimer's ethnic identity as their reason.Ka'nhehsí:io Deer, Jorge Barrera, [https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/trickster-producers-resign-michelle-latimer-1.5848094, "Trickster producers resign amid Michelle Latimer Indigenous identity questions"]. CBC News Indigenous, December 18, 2020. Latimer's documentary film Inconvenient Indian was also withdrawn from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, all other film festivals, and from distribution, by the NFB until further notice.

In responding to journalists, Latimer said her identification as Indigenous rested on the oral history of her maternal grandfather who talked about being Indigenous and sometimes used the term "Métis". She said: "I never had reason to question what my family had told me. I'd again say that going back to identity is complex... Identity is not just about ancestral connection. It is about our values and our worldview and how those are incorporated. I grew up in the North, I grew up with those teachings. And that, for me, is what makes me Indigenous."{{Cite news |title='All I can do is speak my truth': Filmmaker Michelle Latimer breaks her silence after Indigenous ancestry controversy |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-all-i-can-do-is-speak-my-truth-filmmaker-michelle-latimer-breaks-her/ |publisher=The Globe and Mail |last=Hertz |first=Barry |access-date=2 June 2024}}

Latimer produced genealogical records to bolster her claim that she was a 'non-status Algonquin'; these claims were rejected by tribal leaders.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/michelle-latimer-ancestry-report-expert-1.6024508 |access-date=November 21, 2024 |title=Michelle Latimer breaks silence, presents ancestry report following questions about Indigenous identity |website=CBC News |date=May 21, 2020}} Census records reviewed by CBC News suggest that Latimer's grandfather was French-Canadian. However, Dominique Ritchot, a genealogist and researcher with an expertise in French-Canadian families, claimed that Latimer had two Indigenous ancestors dating from 1644, while most of her other ancestors were identifiable as French Canadian, Irish and Scottish.{{Cite news|last=Monkman|first=Lenard|date=22 December 2020|title=NFB pulls Michelle Latimer's documentary Inconvenient Indian from Sundance festival|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/nfb-pulls-inconvenient-indian-sundance-1.5852150|access-date=4 January 2021}} Later, Sébastien Malette, an associate professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University, and Siomonn Pulla, an associate professor in the College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Royal Roads University produced a joint genealogical report which found that Latimer has Indigenous ancestry from both her paternal and maternal lines that originated from a "historical community of Baskatong that was known for its Algonquin and Métis population."

In January 2021, it was reported that Latimer served CBC with a notice of libel,{{Cite news|title=Michelle Latimer serves CBC with notice of libel, while network cancels Trickster|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-michelle-latimer-serves-cbc-with-notice-of-libel-while-network-cancels/|access-date=2021-01-31}} claiming to "have grave concerns about the fairness and accuracy" of the CBC's reporting on her ancestry.{{Cite web|last=Ritchie|first=Kevin|date=2021-01-29|title=CBC cancels Trickster after one season|url=https://nowtoronto.com/movies/cbc-cancels-trickster-after-one-season|access-date=2021-01-31|website=NOW Magazine}} Latimer elaborated that the CBC "created a false narrative about my character and my lineage." She maintains:"The CBC article painted a picture of someone who is misrepresenting themselves as a fake and a liar. All I can say is that I never misrepresented who I was. I never intended to mislead anyone who I worked with. I tell Indigenous stories because that feels true to my experience, and it's what I love to do. The fact that I've been painted as someone who has been profiting for my own gain feels so unfair and misguided."

An Algonquin Elder from Kitigan Zibi, Annie Smith St. Georges, (known for her work with the National Arts Centre) posted on Facebook that Latimer was connected with her indigenous ancestors by marriage, "the grand niece of my grandpa and grandma, who were originally from Mishomis Baskatong." However, Jean Teillet, the great-grand niece of Métis leader Louis Riel, denied that a distant connection qualified someone as indigenous, telling CBC that "from my perspective, it's a fantasy" and "Most of the legitimate Métis groups … they don't accept people who just find an ever-so-great grandmother back in the 1600s. That doesn't work. That is not a culture. It's just a genealogical fact."{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/michelle-latimer-ancestry-report-expert-1.6024508 |author1=Jorge Barrera |title=Michelle Latimer breaks silence, presents ancestry report following questions about Indigenous identity |publisher=CBC |access-date=26 October 2023 |date=May 17, 2021}}

In October of the same year, Latimer withdrew the CBC lawsuit without formal explanation.{{cite web |author1=Brett Forester |title=Michelle Latimer drops lawsuit against CBC |url=https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/michelle-latimer-drops-lawsuit-against-cbc/ |website=APTN News |publisher=APTN |access-date=18 September 2023 |date=November 16, 2021}}

• List of female film and television directors

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• {{IMDb name|1005753}}
• [https://www.michellelatimer.ca/ Personal website]

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