Michelle St. John

Michelle St. John is a First Nations actress, singer, producer, and director. She has been involved in creative projects in television, film, theatre, and music since the 1980s. Her directorial debut, Colonization Road, is a 2016 feature-length documentary that premiered at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.^[1]

Career

Michelle St. John, who grew up in Toronto, began her career in film as an actress. One of her first roles was as the protagonist in the 1989 CBC film Where the Spirit Lives, for which she won a Gemini Award for Best Actress - Dramatic Program.^[2]

In 1992, St. John won her second Gemini Award for Best Guest Performance in a Series by an Actor or Actress for her role as Merrily Swanson on E.N.G.. She has worked on many television series, including Northern Exposure and By Way of the Stars, and she voiced the character of Nakoma in Disney’s 1995 animated film Pocahontas.

In 1998, she had a cameo as Velma in Chris Eyre’s award winning Smoke Signals. The screenwriter, Sherman Alexie, describes the scene as a "trap door" for Indigenous audiences to fall through, while those less familiar with Indigenous culture will pass right by.^[3][4]

She co-founded Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble in 1999 with Jani Lauzon and Monique Mojica.^[5] As Co-Managing Artistic Director, she co-created, produced, and toured The Scrubbing Project,^[6] an exploration of mixed Indigenous heritage, The Triple Truth, which was nominated for a Dora Award, and The Only Good Indian… , a multi-media musical.^[7]

St. John is Co-Artistic Director of Red Diva Projects and has produced several short films and theatre productions with partner Marie Clements.^[8] She is currently a producer at The Breath Films,^[9] where she recently collaborated with Shane Belcourt as co-producer on two Heritage Minutes, Chanie Wenjack and Naskumituwin (Treaty),^[10] and the independent feature film Red Rover.^[11]

Colonization Road

She came across the inspiration for Colonization Road, which she wrote, produced, and directed, while touring with Turtle Gals in Fort Frances, Ontario.^[12] The film follows comedian Ryan McMahon as he explores the historical significance of this road in his hometown, and how its endurance reflects the uncomfortable reality of Canada’s colonial past and present.^[13]

The First Nations and Indigenous Studies faculty at the University of British Columbia welcomed St. John as their artist-in-residence in 2015 while she worked on the film.^[14] The World Premiere of Colonization Road was on October 23, 2016 at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival,^[15] and it has been nominated for two Golden Sheaf Awards.^[16]

Selected filmography

Awards

1990 - Gemini Award: Best Actress - Dramatic Program (Where the Spirit Lives)

1992 - Gemini Award: Best Guest Performance in a Series by an Actor or Actress (E.N.G. Season 2, Episode 11)

2003 - FAITA Award: Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Film (The Business of Fancydancing)

2011 - American Indian Movie Award: Best Actress (Every Emotion Costs)à

References