You Are on Indian Land

You Are on Indian Land was produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of its Challenge for Change series, with Mitchell a member of the fledgling Indian Film Crew for First Nations filmmaking. Knowing that negotiations were faltering and that Mohawk here planning to block the bridge, Mitchell asked George C. Stoney, the executive producer of Challenge for Change, for an NFB film crew. Stoney moved quickly to pull a film team together. Director Mort Ransen agreed to work on the project after learning that no First Nations directors were available, saying that he would assist Mitchell. For Mitchell, who later became a long-serving Grand Chief of Akwesasne, the experience of making You Are on Indian Land blurred the lines between filmmaking and politics: ==Crediting changes==

In 2016, an encounter between Mort Ransen and NFB English Program executive director Michelle van Beusekom at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival led to series of discussions about credits for this film. These resulted in the NFB officially recrediting the film with Mitchell as director, in accordance with Ransen's longtime wishes. Additionally, Indian Film Crew member Noel Starblanket was credited as assistant editor for his work alongside editor Kathleen Shannon, the future founder of Studio D. Regarding the crediting issue, Mitchell said: ==Aftermath==

Afterward, Mitchell worked with the NFB for several more years before leaving filmmaking. He was elected to the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne in 1982. Two years later, he was first elected as its Grand Chief—an office he would repeatedly hold, beginning in 1984 until his reelection in 2012. ==References==