Cowboy Smithx
Cowboy Smithx (born January 31, 1982) is a Blackfoot filmmaker from the Piikani Nation and Kainai Nation in Southern Alberta.[1] He has acted in, co-produced, and directed a few short films and music videos. His best known work is a full feature documentary co-produced with Chris Hsiung called, Elder in the Making.[2] It is a film about reconciliation between non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.
![](../I/Chief_Mountain.png.webp)
Background
In 2008, Cowboy Smithx was employed as a youth worker in East Vancouver, Canada.[3] The organization he worked for is KAYA, which stands for the, 'Knowledgeable Aboriginal Youth Association'.[4] Cowboy Smithx is a 2008 graduate from the Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking Program at Capilano University.[5] The film Smithx co-produced, Elder in the Making, will be used as an optional learning resource within Alberta schools to teach and share Indigenous ontological epistemologies.[6] Smithx said today's youth have an opportunity through their use of convenient media opportunities to advocate for change in their communities.[7] Cowboy Smithx recently founded the REDx Speaker Series. This production serves as a platform for reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Peoples[8] Smithx is the main stakeholder of his motion picture and film company, Eccentricus Imagery, which has been based in Vancouver B.C. since 2005[9]
Film Work
- October 2016: Cree Code Talker, co-produced by Alexandra Lazarowich & Cowboy Smithx.[10]
- September 2016: Elder in the Making, co-produced by Chris Hsiung & Cowboy Smithx.[11]
- 2013: Music Video-Dancin' on the Run, produced by Cowboy Smithx.[12]
- 2013: Music Video-Red Winter, co-produced by Cowboy Smithx.[13]
- November 2011: Music Video-2 Hour Parking, directed by Cowboy Smithx.[14]
- July 2011: Bloodland (a short experimental film produced by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), acting role by Cowboy Smithx.[15]
- September 2005: Crookz, acting role by Cowboy Smithx[16]
Awards
- March 2020: Cowboy Smithx awarded an Indspire Award for Arts. Revoked due to "personal and professional conduct that are a significant departure from generally accepted standards of public behaviour"[17]
- April 2017: Cowboy Smithx and co-producer Alexandra Lazarowich of,' Cree Code Talker,' are nominees for best short non-fiction film at the 2017 Alberta Film and Television Awards.[18]
- May 2016: Elder in the Making receives an award from the, Alberta Film & Television Awards and Alberta Media Production Industries Association, for best documentary over 30 minutes[19]
- April 2016: Cowboy Smithx and fellow co-producer, Alexandra Lazarowich, win first place at the HotDocs Bravo Factual Short Film Pitching Competition. They use this monetary award to finance the ,'Cree Code Talker,' short film[20]
References
- "2008 Diploma & Advanced Certificate Graduates". Capilano University. Capilano University. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "Elder in the Making". Elder in the Making. Hidden Story.ca. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "Redx Talks explores new perspectives". Calgary Herald. The Calgary Herald Newspaper. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- "Diverse minds, different cultures, common threads, and inspirational Youth". I Make News. RedWAY News E-zine. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- "2008 Diploma & Advanced Certificate Graduates". Capilano University. Capilano University. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "FILM: ELDER IN THE MAKING". FREQ Magazine. Freq Magazine. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- "Milestones celebrated at kickoff to Aboriginal Awareness Week". Global News BC. Global News. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- "Cowboy Smithx makes APTN movers and shakers list". National Screen Institute. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "Cowboy Smithx Owner, Eccentricus Imagery". Cowboy Smithx. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "Cree Code Talker". Cree Code Talker. Cree Code Talker LTD. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "Elder in the Making". Elder in the Making. Hidden Story.ca. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "Cowboy Smithx and Blaire Russell: The Pensive Times Tour". First Nations Drum. First Nations Drum Newspaper. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- Przybylski, Liz (2018). "Customs and Duty: Indigenous Hip Hop and the US–Canada Border". Journal of Borderlands Studies. 33 (3): 487–506. doi:10.1080/08865655.2016.1222880.
- "Cris Derksen - 2 Hour Parking (OFFICIAL VIDEO)". YouTube. Cris Derksen. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "Bloodland". SKINSPLEX. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "Cowboy Smithx". Indspire. 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- "The 2017 Alberta Film and Television Awards Finalists" (PDF). Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- "We won the award for Best Documentary over 30 minutes". Elder in the Making. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- "The unbreakable Canadian "code" of the Second World War". Radio Canada International. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
External links
- on YouTube
- on SoundCloud
- on RedxTalks