Indigenous politician, advocate and producer Tina Keeper honoured with ACTRA Manitoba Award

Tina Keeper, a Cree actress and recipient of the ACTRA Manitoba Award, pictured on Sept. 30, 2014. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)

A trailblazing Indigenous producer has been recognized for her work with local First Nations and Métis creatives.

Tina Keeper, the president of Kistikan Pictures – an Indigenous-led production company, received the ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) Manitoba Award Saturday at the union’s bi-annual ceremony.

The award is given to a production company that hires the most members or makes a significant impact on the local creative community, said Alan Wong, the president of the ACTRA Manitoba branch council.

Keeper hails from Norway House Cree Nation, but was born in Winnipeg. She is best known for her role in TV series North of 60, received the award for the first two seasons of her latest TV sitcom, Acting Good.

“It's hired a lot of our members and also drastically increased the amount of Indigenous members in ACTRA,” Wong said.

Aside from her work in broadcast, Keeper also served as a Member of Parliament for the Liberal Party, representing Churchill, Man., from 2006 to 2008. In June, she was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada.

“This one is a special award that ACTRA Manitoba gives out,” Keeper said in an interview with CTV News.

Acting Good is set in a fictional remote First Nation in northern Manitoba and sees Paul Rabliauskas as the lead. Keeper plays his mother in the show.

“We have been very committed to casting in Manitoba,” Keeper said. “Our cast is predominantly First Nations or Métis, and I do believe we have had a couple of Inuit actors as well on our show, so it's been really exciting.”

Keeper added the show provides Indigenous people who want to become actors with an opportunity to get their foot in the door.

When she found out she won the award, Keeper said it didn’t hit her until she was on stage receiving it.

“It was one of the most overwhelming moments of my career,” she said. “It's an Indigenous production, and that it is Indigenous-led, and we have these amazing allies that work with us, and for that to take over 30 years to happen.

“What really hit me when we were presented the award, was that it has taken a long time to get to this moment.”

She said the lengthy journey, as well as the barriers she and her crew have had to overcome along the way, makes the win bittersweet.

“I think that that's part of the joy, is that we made it,” said Keeper. “And it gives a lot of opportunity to a lot of people, and that's what I'm really committed to. I'm really committed to continuing to open doors for people because that's necessary.”

Season 3 of Acting Good is airing now on CTV Comedy and APTN.