Oscar-nominated documentary exposes horrifying truths about Indigenous residential schools in Canada
The Discovery of Hundreds of Unmarked Graves at An Indian Residential School in Canada in 2021 Was Just the Catalyst for “Sugarcane.” Julian Brave Noisecat and Emily Kassie, The Filmmakers Behind the Oscar-Nominated Documentary, Spent Years Investigating The Truth Behind Just One of the Institutes. “Sugarcane,” Now Streaming on Hulu, Paints A Horrifying Picture of the Systemic Abuses Inflicted by the State-Funded School and Exposes for the First Time A pattern of Infantic and Babe S In the Year Since It Debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, “Sugarcane” has Screned at the White House, For Canadian Parliament and For Over A Dozen ADE, SP Find the Truth About the Other Schools S IT Also Marks The First Time That An Indigenous North American Filmmaker Has Received An Oscar Nomination. Oscar-Nominated Documentary
“Too often That We look Everywher Else in the World to Horrors and Abuses Happening, and That’s Important, But Native Issues are Rarely The Issue of the Day, and We Believe Toe. “This story is the genocide that Happened Across North America, and We’ve Never Grappled with It. Native People Have Rarely Be The Focal Point of That Kind of Countrywide Dialogue. We Hope That ‘Sugarcane “Helps to Change That.”
The Unexpectedly Personal Journey to “Sugarcane”
As an Investigative Journalist and Documentarian, Kassie Had Spent A Decade Making Films About Human Rights ABuses All Over the World, Old Hyer, But Sche’d Turane When the News Broke About the Unmarked Graves, She Felt Drawn to The Story and Reacined Out To No See See IF He’d Want to Help. They Became Friends As Cub Reporters in New York Who Just Happened to Share Neighboring Desks. “In the Years Since, Julian Had Gone on To Become An Incredible Writer and Thinker and Journalist Focusing on Indigenous Life in North America. IT FELT LIKE THE NATURAL FIT, ”She Said.
While He Was Mulling It Over, She Went Looking for a Group to Focus on and Landed on St. Joseph’s Mission Near the Sugarcane Reservation of Williams Lake in British Columbia. He’d Heard Stories About His Father Being Born Nearby and Found in a Dumpster. Over the Course of Making The Film They’d Discover That He Was Actualy Born in a Dormitory and Found in the School’s Incinerator.
“It was a process for me to ultimately Decide to Tell The Story in a Personal and Familial Way,” Said Noisecat, Who During the Making Of “IT BECAME VERY CLEAR THAT HE HAD THESE UNADDRESSED QUESTIONS FROM HIS BIRTH AND UPBRINGING, AND THIS WE POSITION ment of me , ”Noisecat Said. “The Big Thing, Though, Was Going To The Vatican With The Late Chief Rick Gilbert and Witnessing His Incredible Bravery.”
The Impact of “Sugarcane”
“We’ve Just be Incredibly Fortunate That this Film Has Has Had Real Impact,” Noisecat Said. But Really, Thankfully, It’s Been A Healing Thing, Not Just For My Family and Our Partments, But for Indian Country More Broadly. ” Over the Last Year as the Film Has Played at Various Festivals and for Indigenous Communities on RESERVATES, KASSIE SAID THAT SURVIVORS HAVE BEEN COMING FORWARD WITH STORIES. In October, Former President Joe Biden Also Formally Apologized to Native American An History. ” Kassie Note That While “Sugarcane” is inspiring confersations with commenties, IT Comes at A Political Moment Where Governments are not Actively Supporting Continued Investigation and Accounting and Account. Oscar-Nominated Documentary
An Historic Oscar Nomination
The In 97 Years of the Oscars, No Native American Person Has Ever Won A Competitive Acting Prize. When the Oscar Nomination Came Through for “Sugarcane,” They Made Sure of Their Facts Right Before Touting Its Own Historic Nature: Noiseer ToEr. “It’s Really Special,” He Said. “And at the Same Time, It’s Kind of Shocking.” He added: “More bradly, there are so Many Painful, Important, Beautiful and Sometimes Even Triumphant Stories that come from native people that come from indian Country.
“We will make it a moment,” noisecat said. “IF We Win, I’m Going To Get Up There, I’m Going To Say Someting, and We’re Going To It Well Too.” For more on this year’s Oscar Race and Show, Including How to Watch the Nominees, Visit https://apnews.com/hub/academy-avels
