Documentary about Buffy Sainte-Marie wins International Emmy Award

By: The Canadian Press Posted: 7:50 PM CST Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 Last Modified: 8:52 PM CST Monday, Nov. 20, 2023

NEW YORK - A documentary about folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie, made before her Indigenous ancestry was called into question, has won an International Emmy Award.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

NEW YORK - A documentary about folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie, made before her Indigenous ancestry was called into question, has won an International Emmy Award.

Read unlimited articles for free today:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/11/2023 (1050 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK – A documentary about folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie, made before her Indigenous ancestry was called into question, has won an International Emmy Award.

“Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On,” directed by Madison Thomas and narrated by Sainte-Marie, won in the arts programming category.

The award is presented by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

A documentary about folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie, made before her Indigenous ancestry was called into question, has won an International Emmy Award. Award-winning singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie poses for a photograph on the red carpet for the 2022 Canada’s Walk of Fame Gala in Toronto, on Saturday, December 3, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin

Producers describe the film as a retrospective of Sainte-Marie’s life and career, including interviews with famous friends and colleagues, never-before-seen archival material and cinematic recreations.

The singer-songwriter’s ancestry was challenged in a CBC investigation last month that presented several identity documents that suggested she is Italian American.

Saint-Marie has denied the accusations.

Sainte-Marie’s story of her birth, childhood and identity has shifted throughout her six-decade career, with her identifying as Algonquin and Mi’kmaq before saying she was Cree, adopted from a mother in Saskatchewan.

The documentary, produced by Eagle Vision, White Pine Pictures and Paquin Entertainment, premièred at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and is available to stream on Crave, while the CBC piece is available on YouTube.

A statement by White Pine Pictures on its website supports Sainte-Marie.

“We stand behind Buffy and believe it to be true that her mother told her she was adopted and of Canadian Indigenous descent.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2023.