Of the many documentary films I watched at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the world premiere of SUGARCANE, in my estimation, ranks among the best and most important at the festival. I am not sure if I will be able to do this film the justice that it deserves, but I will try.
The film, co-directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, won the well deserved Directing Award in U.S. Documentary category at the festival and tells the very powerful and emotional story of the indigenous children who lived on the Sugarcane Indian Reservation in Canada and attended the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School.
Beginning in 1894 indigenous Canadian children were forced to attend Canadian government schools, most run by the Catholic Church. There were rumors of abuse at these schools and unmarked graves were found of children who died while living at the St. Joseph’s Mission School. In the film, many members of the Sugarcane reservation are interviewed. A young Chief Willie Sellars speaks about what has been done in the recent past to heal and honor the survivors, including the celebration of Orange Shirt Day, honoring children taken from families and sent to the mission. We meet Charlene Belleau, who is investigating the abuses at the school, including the mysterious unmarked graves. Now deceased, I was moved by Rick Gilbert, a survivor of the mission school, who traveled with a group to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis to discuss the cruelties experienced at the school. We hear from many other survivors of the abuses that occurred at St. Joseph’s, including Ed Archie Noisecat, who is co-director Julian Brave NoiseCat’s father, as well as his father’s mother (Julian’s grandmother), two of the many that experienced multi-generational abuse at the school.
It was heartbreaking to hear about the horrific physical and sexual abuse that occurred at the school which led to the school being closed down in 1981. Unfortunately, this abuse led to many unwanted pregnancies and deaths at the school, as well as alcoholism, abandonment issues and a number of suicides by survivors after leaving the school.
Although sometimes disturbing to listen to the stories told by the survivors, I feel that SUGARCANE is a gripping film that needs to be seen by all as a reminder of the injustices that have been wrought upon native people, not only in Canada, but around the world. In the film it is mentioned that this is also an American story where more than twice as many children were taken from their families. Highly recommended!
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