Rez Comedy: Laughter as Resilience in Indigenous Storytelling
Rez Comedy is a rising cultural movement, redefining Indigenous representation through laughter. Spearheaded by Squamish Nation comedian Keith Nahanee, filmmaker Quentin Lee, and producer Cindy AuYeung, this all-Indigenous stand-up initiative spans a feature film, monthly live shows in North Vancouver, and a 13-episode television series in development with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). By showcasing nine Indigenous comedians—Keith Nahanee, Janelle Niles, Denise B. McLeod, Brenda Prince, Chuck Cease, Wayne Alexis, Helena Paul, Drea Omer, and Kevin Shawanda—Rez Comedy brings unfiltered voices to the fore, tackling reservation life, cultural stereotypes, and reconciliation with wit, candor, and heart.
The feature film—winner of the 2024 Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Special—captures stand-up sets filmed at the Squamish Nation’s Chief Joe Mathias Centre. Nahanee opens with a warm invocation, grounding the audience in the significance of traditional meeting grounds. From there, Niles and Cease deliver razor-sharp one-liners that slice through assumptions and clichés. While some critics point to the film’s modest “point-and-shoot” aesthetic, its cultural heft is unmistakable. As one Indigenous comedian put it, “Laughter beckons us to let go and lose track of our luggage… it eases the burden.” That, in essence, is Rez Comedy’s ethos: humour as healing, resistance, and reclamation.
Beyond the screen, Rez Comedy thrives in live performance. Its monthly showcases in North Vancouver feature Indigenous, Métis, and non-Indigenous comedians, sharing a stage and a dialogue about reconciliation. A standout was the June 15, 2024, live taping at Vancouver’s Metro Theatre Centre. The upcoming television series—supported by APTN and the Canada Media Fund—builds on the team’s Comedy Invasion documentary legacy, with half-hour sets filmed on reservations across the country.
What distinguishes Rez Comedy is not just its content but its delivery model. Streaming on Truce+ (truceplus.com), it champions fair-trade storytelling. Truce+ operates on TAPP Streaming technology, which uses instant micropayments and micro-distributions to ensure creators are compensated equitably. This model reorients the entertainment economy, placing storytellers—particularly Indigenous voices—at the center of value creation. Nahanee, Lee, and their team retain control over their narratives, while viewers, by watching on Truce+, become direct participants in a more just media ecosystem.
Rez Comedy is more than a showcase; it’s a platform. With support from Margin Films, Viva Pictures, and a groundswell of crowdfunding on Indiegogo, it’s a collective act of cultural assertion. It brings forth what Nahanee calls “an unknown brand of humour”—unfiltered, unexpected, and deeply rooted in lived experience.
Stream Rez Comedy on Truce+, no login or subscription required. Celebrate Indigenous resilience, not only during National Indigenous History Month but year-round. This is comedy that bridges communities, relieves burdens, and reclaims narrative space—one laugh at a time.
Subscribe for more on art, culture, technology, and impact.
