We Were Children
{{Infobox film
| name = We Were Children
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| director = Tim Wolochatiuk
| producer = {{Plain list|
- Kyle Irving
- David Christensen
}}
| writer = Jason Sherman
| screenplay =
| story =
| based_on =
| narrator =
| starring =
| music = Shawn Pierce
| cinematography = {{Plain list|
- Jeremy Benning
- Kim Bell
}}
| editing = John Whitcher
| studio = {{plainlist|
}}
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|2012|10|02|Vancouver International Film Festival|2017|03|18|streaming}}
| country = Canada
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
We Were Children is a 2012 Canadian documentary film about the experiences of First Nations children in the Canadian Indian residential school system. Directed by Tim Wolochatiuk and written by Jason Sherman, the film recounts the experiences of two residential school survivors: Lyna Hart, who attended the Guy Hill Residential School in Manitoba, and Glen Anaquod, who attended the Lebret Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan. We Were Children presents their experiences through a combination of personal interviews and dramatic recreations.{{cite news|url=https://www.straight.com/article-799361/vancouver/viff-2012-we-were-children-depicts-residential-school-stories|title=VIFF 2012: We Were Children depicts residential school stories|last=Cole|first=Yolande|date=2 October 2012|work=Georgia Straight|publisher=Vancouver Free Press|accessdate=16 November 2012}}{{cite journal|last=Sison|first=Marites N.|date=26 September 2012|title=Film tells stories of residential school survivors|journal=Anglican Journal|issn=0847-978X|url=http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/other/news-items/p/2/c/sliders/article/film-tells-stories-of-residential-school-survivors-11191//abp/141.html|accessdate=16 November 2012}}{{cite news |url=http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/09/28/viff-review-we-were-children/ |title=VIFF review: We Were Children |date=28 September 2012 |work=Vancouver Province |publisher=Postmedia Network Inc. |accessdate=16 November 2012}}
Hart considered her involvement in We Were Children a vital step in her healing process, marking the first time she had fully shared her experiences. Anaquod died on May 31, 2011, before the film's completion; his family was given a private screening. Hart died on January 3, 2015.{{Cite news|url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Lyna-Hart-prominent-member-of-Winnipegs-indigenous-community-passes-away-287840811.html|title=Jan 2015: Lyna Hart, prominent member of Winnipeg's indigenous community, passes away|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|date=7 January 2015}}
Production
Eagle Vision's executive producer Lisa Meeches—whose parents and older siblings were sent to residential schools, and who spent over 7 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 had had at the Banff World Media Festival.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/we-were-children-a-healing-journey-for-residential-school-survivors-1.1216765|title=We Were Children 'a healing journey' for residential school survivors|date=19 October 2012|work=CBC News|access-date=16 November 2012}} It was Meeches who approached director Tim Wolochatiuk with the project.{{cite video | url=http://www.globaltvbc.com/video/interview+with+the+filmmakers+of+we+were+children/video.html?v=2286032691#guests | title=Interview with the filmmakers of 'We Were Children' | publisher=Global BC Morning News | date=2 October 2012 | medium=Video interview | location=Vancouver}}{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
The film was shot in Manitoba, namely 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/2011/08/25/documentary-on-residential-schools-shoots-in-portage|title=Documentary on residential schools shoots in Portage|last=Maxwell|first=Jordan|date=26 August 2011|work=Portage Daily Graphic|accessdate=17 November 2012}}
CBC Manitoba reporter Sheila North Wilson assisted the production by translating material in the script from English to Cree.{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/other/2012/02/02/cbc-reporter-on-the-pain-brought-by-translating-for-residential-schools-documentary/|title=Behind the scenes of made in Manitoba docudrama "We Were Children"|last=North Wilson|first=Sheila|date=2 February 2012|work=CBC Manitoba Scene|publisher=CBC News|accessdate=21 November 2012}}
Cast
The film's cast includes both acting performances and interviewees, as We Were Children combines interviews of its two subjects with dramatic recreations of their experiences. Among the cast were:{{IMDb title|1934472}}
[http://www.nfb.ca/film/we_were_children We Were Children] at the National Film Board of Canada
- Lyna Hart — self
- Alicia Hamelin — Lyna, 4 years old
- Jade Hamelin — Lyna, 10 years old
- Jennie Morin — Lyna, 18 yrs old
- Glen Anaquod — self
- René Batson — Glen, 6–7 years old
- Brun Montour (as Bruin Montour) — Glen, 12 yrs old (as Bruin Montour)
- Justin Ducharme — Glen, 18 years old
- Justin Courchene — Glen, Adult
- Darcy Fehr — Glen's Teacher Priest
- Darren Felbel — Priest, Saskatchewan
- Rebecca Gibson — Sister Mary
- Lois Brothers — Glen's Teacher
- Fawnda Neckoway - Lyna's Mother
- Glenn Cochrane — Lyna's Grandfather
- Kayla Contois-Moar — Virginia
Release
We Were Children premiered on 2 October 2012 at the Vancouver International Film Festival, followed by a screening at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto on October 18. It was broadcast on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in March 2013, followed by a DVD release from the National Film Board of Canada on 12 April 2013.
See also
- Sleeping Children Awake, a 1992 documentary about residential schools
- Where the Spirit Lives, a 1989 drama about residential schools
- Our Spirits Don't Speak English, a 2008 documentary film about Native American boarding schools in the United States
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|1934472}}
- [http://blog.nfb.ca/blog/2012/10/02/we-were-children/ Blog post by Lisa Meeches] and [http://www.nfb.ca/film/we_were_children trailer] at the National Film Board of Canada
- Global BC Morning News, Shaw Media Inc.
Category:Films shot in Winnipeg
Category:Canadian documentary films
Category:2012 documentary films
Category:Documentary films about First Nations
Category:National Film Board of Canada documentaries
Category:Documentary films about child abuse
Category:Documentary films about Indigenous rights in Canada
Category:Films produced by David Christensen
Category:Works about residential schools in Canada
Category:2010s English-language films