Mahkos: A Selection of Video Works by Kevin Burton

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Kevin Burton, “HOMe,” no date

(courtesy of the Gallery)

Kevin Lee Burton (God’s Lake Narrows, MB) is an award-winning director who has distinguished himself by working with his ancestral language, Swampy Cree (N dialect). His unique approach to filmmaking is evident in his strong film and video practice, which includes a video adaption of the 2012 Webby Award-winning interactive/web work, God’s Lake Narrows. The suite of videos he has created explores Cree perspectives rooted in his upbringing, each one a reflection of his evolving perspectives on the Cree language. In nikamowin/Song, Cree is portrayed as an animate being engaging in a dialogue with a young man, using Cree rhythms of sound to activate the subconscious part of our brains and foster a subconscious understanding of Cree. In S.E.C.K., Burton delves into the vulnerability many Indigenous people experience when connecting to their mother tongues. God’s Lake Narrows offer an intimate reflection of life in a Cree community, from the beauty of the reservation aesthetic to the isolation and hypocrisy Burton experienced as a gay man in his home community in the video HOMe.   

In 2007, Burton’s experimental film nikamowin/ Song received the Best Experimental and Best Indigenous Language Production awards at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto and in 2008, the Toronto International Film Festival Group’s Top 10 list. Kevin has not only made a mark in the film industry but also in the realm of Indigenous film initiatives. He has worked as a program assistant for the Native and Indigenous Initiative at the Sundance Institute in Beverly Hills, California and was an associate programmer for Out on Screen’s IndigeQUEER program in Vancouver. His influence is further seen in his role as a founding member of the ITWE and Mamaweyas Collectives, where he continues to inspire and support the next generation of Indigenous filmmakers.