Neil Diamond (filmmaker) facts for kids

Neil Diamond is a talented Cree-Canadian filmmaker. He grew up in Waskaganish, Quebec. Neil Diamond is known for making interesting documentary films. These films often share important stories about Indigenous people and their history.

He has worked with a company called Rezolution Pictures. Some of his well-known documentaries include Reel Injun, The Last Explorer, and Cree Spoken Here. He also directed a TV series called DAB IYIYUU. This series was for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and focused on Cree elders, who are respected older members of the community.

In 2008, Neil Diamond made a film called The Last Explorer. This movie told the story of his great-uncle, George Elson. George Elson was a Cree guide who helped explore and map Labrador a long time ago. He was part of an expedition in 1903 with Leonidas Hubbard and Dillon Wallace. He also went on another trip in 1905 with Hubbard's wife, Mina Hubbard.

Neil Diamond also worked on a project with Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk. This project explored a conflict between the Cree and Inuit people that happened in the 1700s. This conflict lasted for almost a century.

In 2024, Neil Diamond co-directed a documentary called Red Fever with Catherine Bainbridge. He also starred in this film. Red Fever looks at how Western pop culture sometimes uses stereotypical images of Indigenous people. Later in 2024, he also released So Surreal: Behind the Masks. This documentary, co-directed with Joanne Robertson, explored how traditional Indigenous masks influenced a style of art called surrealism.

Reel Injun Documentary

The idea for Reel Injun came from Neil Diamond's own childhood. When he was a kid in Waskaganish, he and other Native children would watch Westerns (cowboy movies). After the movies, they would play cowboys and Indians. Even though they were "Indians" in real life, they all wanted to be the cowboys in their games.

Later, when Neil Diamond moved away to study, people who were not Native would ask him if his people lived in teepees or rode horses. He realized that these ideas came from movies. These movies often showed Native people in ways that were not true. This made him want to show the real identity of Native Americans through his films. He wanted to help people understand the true stories and lives of Indigenous people.

Awards and Recognition

Neil Diamond has received important awards for his work. In 2010, he won the award for Best Direction in a Documentary Program at the 2010 Gemini Awards for Reel Injun. This film also earned him a Peabody Award in 2011. These awards show how important and well-made his documentaries are.