In UK Cinemas now: visit www.sugarcane.film
Written by Sophia Arnold and Alicia Kroemer
At first glance, ordering orange sprinkle doughnuts at Tim Hortons feels like an everyday, almost trivial act that many Canadians know well. Tim Hortons, the iconic coffee and doughnut chain, symbolises Canadian identity, representing routine comfort and a shared cultural experience. But in Sugarcane, when Willie Sellars, Chief of Williams Lake First Nations, makes this simple purchase, it carries a profound weight. The orange doughnuts, tied to Orange Shirt Day, embody the legacy of residential schools—a legacy rooted in the systematic erasure of Indigenous cultures and identities. In this moment, what seems like an ordinary act becomes a stark reminder of how deeply intertwined Canada’s colonial past is with its present. Orange becomes a symbol of remembrance, holding the painful history of the residential school system, and connecting the everyday life of Canadians with the ongoing struggle for justice and reconciliation.
A statue of Mary and Baby Jesus looks over St. Joseph's Mission, a former Indian residential school near Williams Lake, British Columbia, where a search for unmarked graves of former students is underway. (Credit: Christopher LaMarca/Sugarcane Film LLC)
The documentary is the debut feature of Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, two filmmakers with deep personal and professional ties to the subject. Julian, a writer, journalist, and activist of Secwepemc and St’at’imc descent, brings his own family history into the narrative. With connections to the Sugarcane Reserve and a personal link to the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School through his father, Julian’s perspective imbues the film with emotional immediacy. His co-director, Emily, is an award-winning filmmaker and investigative journalist known for tackling difficult subjects like human rights abuses, violence, and systemic injustice. Together, they create a documentary that is as much an exploration of intergenerational trauma as it is an act of healing and cultural reclamation.
Set against the haunting backdrop of St. Joseph's Mission Residential School in British Columbia, the film follows the community’s investigation into unmarked graves—a part of the wider reckoning Canada has faced since the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at Kamloops Indian Residential School in 2021. What began as a singular discovery quickly escalated into a national outcry as more than 1,000 unmarked graves were subsequently found across the country, reopening deep wounds in Indigenous communities.
This investigation is personal for Julian. His family has roots in the Sugarcane Reserve, only kilometres from St. Joseph’s, which closed in 1981. The school is a looming symbol of loss, trauma, and resilience, and Julian’s directorial eye brings an intimate, reflective quality to the film. His own father, Ed Archie NoiseCat, a sculptor and the only known survivor of the school’s incinerator, becomes a central figure in the narrative. Through their father-son dynamic, Sugarcane doesn’t just document history—it allows the audience to witness history unfolding, personal and raw. The documentary moves between the macro and the micro, from the wider community investigation into the atrocities at St. Joseph's to deeply personal moments, like Julian and his father piecing together Ed's fragmented memories and lost childhood. Ed’s story is a thread that weaves through Sugarcane, connecting the past to the present. His survival is, in itself, a testament to the resilience of Indigenous peoples in the face of overwhelming cruelty. As the filmmakers follow the investigation led by community members like Charlene Belleau and Whitney Spearing, there’s a stark juxtaposition between the harrowing discovery of atrocities—engraved names on the walls of St. Joseph’s, archival footage of children praying—and the beauty of family, community, and cultural resurgence.
The film also introduces us to other key figures like Rick Gilbert, former Chief of Williams Lake First Nations, who travels to the Vatican to witness Pope Francis' 2022 apology. His journey from a church in his reserve to the heart of Catholicism in Italy offers a poignant look at the tangled relationships between faith, forgiveness, and healing. Yet, as Rick builds connections with fellow survivors at the Vatican, the complexity of reconciliation is laid bare. Can a formal apology truly heal wounds that have bled across generations?
Rick Gilbert, former Chief of the Williams Lake First Nation, in the church on the Sugarcane Indian Reserve. (Credit: Christopher LaMarca/Sugarcane Film LLC)
Willie, Chief of Williams Lake First Nations, is another central figure in Sugarcane. He speaks to the media with piercing clarity, explaining how the impact of residential schools permeates every corner of the community. This is no relic of history—it’s an ongoing struggle with systemic racism, cultural erasure, and loss. The documentary captures the investigators, including Charlene and Whitney, as they speak with survivors and witnesses, sift through archival records, and survey the land, revealing the stories of atrocities that were buried with the children in unmarked graves.
Julian Brave NoiseCat competes at the Kamloopa Powwow held on the campus of the former Indian residential school where the first suspected graves of students were discovered in Canada. (Credit: Emily Kassie/Sugarcane Film LLC)
And yet, as dark as the subject matter is, Sugarcane is not without light. The joy of cultural resurgence is shown in quiet, tender moments like Julian asking his grandmother how to say ‘picture’ in Secwepemctsín, her wistful reminder that before the residential schools, everyone spoke Secwepemc. The resurgence of language and culture, despite years of forced erasure, reflects the film’s ultimate message: Indigenous peoples are not just surviving—they are thriving.
At times, the documentary’s pacing ebbs and flows between heart-wrenching revelations and uplifting scenes of resilience. We see the community celebrating at the Kamloopa Powwow, witnessing traditional dances and ceremonies, even as archival footage reminds us of the children robbed of their culture and families. There’s a beautiful scene where Julian and his father run into a lake together, a simple act that feels monumental given all we know about Ed’s past. These tender moments are a reminder of the healing process, yet they also underscore how every joyful memory is interwoven with the trauma of what was lost—memories that should have been filled with cultural continuity instead of pain.
The cinematography often lingers on the vast landscapes of British Columbia, juxtaposing its natural beauty with the scars left behind by the residential schools—a visual metaphor for the communities who, like the land, bear the marks of colonial violence but continue to endure. Through intimate camerawork and empathetic storytelling, Julian and Emily have crafted a documentary that strikes a delicate balance between documenting the horrors of residential schools and showcasing the strength of the communities affected by them. The film’s emotional core is in its portrayal of intergenerational trauma and healing, as encapsulated by the final quote: "Indigenous peoples are still dying from residential schools. And still living, despite them."
Julian Brave NoiseCat and his father Ed Archie NoiseCat look down at the Williams Lake Stampede from the top of "Indian Hill" on their road trip back to St. Joseph's Mission, where Ed was born. (Credit: Emily Kassie/Sugarcane Film LLC)
In the end, Sugarcane is not just a film about the tragedies of the past but a profound reminder that the scars left by the residential school system are still present today, hidden in the everyday symbols of Canadian life, like orange doughnuts at Tim Hortons. Yet, these symbols also hold the promise of resilience and renewal. What began as a symbol of trauma—orange has now become a symbol of remembrance and resilience, a reclaiming of history by the very people whose stories were once silenced. The survival of Indigenous cultures, languages, and communities is not just a story of resistance—it’s a triumph over a history that sought to erase them. Julian and Emily capture this triumph, celebrating the resurgence of language, culture, and community in defiance of a colonial system that failed to destroy them. Sugarcane does more than look back on a dark chapter; it shines a light on a future where Indigenous peoples reclaim their heritage, demand justice, and continue to thrive. Their survival is not just resilience; it’s a powerful victory over one of Canada’s darkest legacies.
In UK Cinemas now: visit www.sugarcane.film
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