The Creston and District Public Library closes the 2012-2013 season of its National Film Board of Canada Film Club with the showing of the powerful documentary on Canada’s residential school system, We Were Children.
In this feature film, the profound impact of the Canadian government’s residential school system is conveyed through the eyes of two children who were forced to face hardships beyond their years. As young children, Lyna and Glen were taken from their homes and placed in Canada's residential school system, where they suffered years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, the effects of which persist in their adult lives. We Were Children gives voice to a national tragedy and demonstrates the incredible resilience of the human spirit. Blending stunning dramatic storytelling with unflinching documentary narratives, the film gives voice to two children trapped in a system that would impact their lives forever.
Directed by Tim Wolochatiuk and written by Jason Sherman, We Were Children is produced by Kyle Irving for Eagle Vision Inc. and David Christensen for the National Film Board of Canada. The executive producer for the Eagle Vision was Lisa Meeches, whose parents and older siblings were sent to residential schools.
Meeches, who spent over seven years travelling across Canada to collect residential school survivors' stories for the Government of Canada, has stated that the idea for the film originated from a discussion she'd had at the Banff World Media Festival. It was Meeches who approached director Wolochatiuk with the project.
The film was shot in Manitoba — in Winnipeg, St-Pierre-Jolys and at the former Portage residential school, now the Rufus Prince building, in Portage la Prairie. It was produced by Kyle Irving for Eagle Vision, Loren Mawhinney for eOne Television, and produced and executive produced by David Christensen for the National Film Board of Canada.
“More than anything else, this film will make people believe what they have only heard second hand,” said Murray Sinclair, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. “It grabs you by the hair and makes you turn your head and look at this country's history and see that the pain and anger and despair that Aboriginal people live with every day, has a reason, and the blame does not rest with the victims.
“The theft of the spirit marks the loss of something important. Shed your tears for those who have suffered. Feel your anger at the injustice of what was done. Forgive those who have affected your lives in a sad way because of their trauma. But never forget that we have to do something about the damage this has caused. You and I.
“You may not have the magic wand that will fix this, but you have a voice. Use it. You have a responsibility, accept it. You have children in your lives, think of them. Do not let them inherit all of this mess. Help them understand. Ensure they are better educated. Denounce the ignorance of today that stems from the racism of the past. Make things better.”
We Were Children will be preceded by the short impressionist documentary, Vistas: Button Blanket, which looks at the creation of a button blanket by integrating the performance of a traditional dance with the art of the West Coast Heiltsuk people.
See We Were Children and Vistas: Button Blanket at 7 p.m. June 13 at the Creston Public Library (rear entrance). A,dmission is free. Running time is 90 minutes.
Warning: We Were Children contains disturbing content. Parental discretion, and/or watching this film within a group setting, is strongly advised. For more information call the library at 250-428-4141.
—CRESTON AND DISTRICT PUBLIC LIBRARY