Writer-director Jeff Barnaby, who established himself as one of the leading lights of modern Indigenous cinema with the films “Rhymes for Young Ghouls” and “Blood Quantum,” has died at age 46.
Barnaby died Thursday in Montreal after a yearlong battle with cancer, according to his publicist.
Born and raised on a Mi’gmaq reservation in Quebec, Canada, Barnaby drew in his work on his own roots as well as his love of horror luminaries like Stephen King, Clive Barker and David Cronenberg, injecting Indigenous-centered narratives with elements of body horror, science fiction and magical realism. Though he made only two feature films, Barnaby earned considerable acclaim for redefining expectations of what an Indigenous film could be and expanding opportunities for Indigenous actors.
