Grand Chief Ted Moses and Premier Bernard Landry beam for the cameras. And with good reason. Moses and Landry have just signed a deal that promises to end decades of animosity between the Cree Nation and the province of Quebec. It’s February 7, 2002, and we’re in Waskaganish, in the heart of Eeyou Istchee, the ancestral homeland of the 13,000 James Bay Cree. The media have descended upon the small northern community to cover a reconciliation that few could have predicted only months before. The press proclaims the “Paix des Braves” as the dawning of a new age in Cree-Quebec relations. But outside the council building, a different picture emerges. The local Cree police, uneasy in the cameras’ glare, are wrestling a pair of bloodied protesters into a paddy-wagon. Not everyone, it seems, is celebrating. “One More River: The Deal that Split the Cree” looks beyond the glowing headlines to give an alternative account of the controversial agreement and its history. Native film-makers Tracey Deer and Neil Diamond travel deep into Cree country to document the battle for the hearts and minds of the people whose future sits in the balance. On October 22, 2001, Moses astonishes his constituents, announcing a secretly negotiated “agreement in principle” with Quebec. In exchange for $3.5 billion over fifty years and a say in future development, the Cree will allow the construction of another massive hydro-electric project on their territory and drop longstanding grievances against outside forestry and mining companies operating on their land. “One More River” gauges the mounting tension as Moses campaigns to convince his people of the benefits of his deal. It’s a hard sell. Having mounted a successful international campaign in the early 90s to block Quebec’s plan to dam the Great Whale River, the Cree are deeply suspicious of Quebec’s development schemes. Deer and Diamond take the pulse of the nation through a series of vibrant encounters. Backcountry trappers and party girls, angry young activists and slick veteran politicos - all feel implicated in a debate whose outcome will shape their collective future. Many accept Moses’ arguments. But others are confused, angry, skeptical. What makes this plan any better than past proposals? Hasn’t Quebec betrayed us time and again? Will our grandchildren be able to hunt on this land? It’s skepticism born of experience. In 1975, the Cree were pressured to sign the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, accepting $150 million for a deal that opened their lands to one of the largest construction projects of all time. Over forty-five hundred square miles were flooded - and the ecological and social costs have been incalculable. But thirty years of expensive legal battles with Quebec have left the Cree Nation strapped for cash, and regional unemployment is high. Moses’ proposal seems to offer a new prosperity, and in January 2002, eight out of nine communities vote in support of the agreement. The hastily formed opposition, uniting traditional elders and young militants with dissident chiefs, cries foul. Visionary plan or historic betrayal? The debate still rages. “One More River” provides a fresh perspective on a pivotal episode in Cree history and offers sharp insight into the forces at play within the halls of Native leadership.