Our People Will Be Healed

The rights of First Nations children take centre stage in this monumental work, where generations of injustices endured by children living on reserves are exposed. Through passionate testimony and unwavering conviction, frontline childcare workers and experts, including Cindy Blackstock, take part in a decade-long court battle to ensure these children receive the same level of care as other Canadian children. Their case against Canada is a stark reminder of the disparities that persist in First Nations communities and the urgent need for justice to be served.

Released in 1971, this lyrical short documentary marked Alanis Obomsawin's directorial debut. Filmed at a residential school in James Bay, northern Ontario, Cree children share stories of their families and community at Christmas time. Focusing on their touching and often entertaining drawings, the film gives voice to the many children forced to attend residential schools in Canada and shares the beauty and resilience of our youngest.

Inspired by the life of the late teen activist Shannen Koostachin, children and community members from Attawapiskat created Shannen's Dream, a national campaign to provide equitable access to education in safe and suitable schools for First Nations children. Hi-Ho Mistahey! follows the grassroots movement from northern Ontario to the United Nations in Geneva, where the children's voices calling for a new school were finally heard, prompting a response back home in Canada.