A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life, SUGARCANE, the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning.

In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves was discovered on the grounds of an Indian residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada. After years of silence, the forced separation, assimilation and abuse many children experienced at these segregated boarding schools was brought to light, sparking a national outcry against a system designed to destroy Indigenous communities. Set amidst a groundbreaking investigation, SUGARCANE illuminates the heartbreak and beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to survive.

“Delicately infuriating documentary Sugarcane digs deep into pain of Canada’s residential school system” (Globe and Mail)

“Devastating Doc about Canadian Residential Schools Should be Required Viewing” (Original CIN)

“Sears the mind and haunts the soul” (Toronto Star)

"‘Sugarcane' documentary explores residential school intergenerational trauma and resilience" (CBC.ca)

Saturday, September 7
Doors 2:50 pm | Movie 3:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SUGARCANE (Emily Kassie, Julian Brave Noisecat, 2024 / 104 mins / PG) An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school sparks a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.