Fifty years after being separated during the Sixties Scoop, four Cree siblings reunite for the first time on a long weekend trip to Banff. Connie (Carmen Moore) frets over planning the perfect sight-seeing itinerary, while down-to-earth-but-guarded Gwen (Michelle Thrush) laments feeling like a tourist in her own country. Marianne (Alex Rice), who grew up in Belgium, experiences the bittersweet joy of discovering her Indigenous culture in midlife, while Anthony (Michael Greyeyes) grapples with a history of assimilation and his role as a grandfather-to-be.
Over picturesque backdrops of forest trails, snowcapped mountains, and crystalline lakewater, the Wasepescan siblings open up about the hurts, hopes, and fears that resurface in the tender process of reassembling their family. Introspective performances from an ensemble cast of VIFF favourites are perfectly matched by the film’s sensitive, piano-driven score. Based on her 2017 documentary Birth of a Family, this emotional drama from award-winning filmmaker Tasha Hubbard (nipawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up) relates a life-affirming story of reconnection and belonging.
Tasha Hubbard
Michael Greyeyes, Michelle Thrush, Carmen Moore, Alex Rice
Canada
2025
In English and French with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Friday November 28
Saturday November 29
Sunday November 30
Monday December 01
Tuesday December 02
Wednesday December 03
Thursday December 04
First Look Fridays: $10 Tickets
Enjoy $10 tickets at this film’s first Friday matinee screening.
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Betty Ann Adam
Producer
Tyler Hagan, Julia Rosenberg
Screenwriter
Tasha Hubbard, Emil Sher
Cinematography
James Klopko
Editor
Simone Smith
Production Design
Louisa Birkin
Original Music
Todor Kobakov
Also Playing
Train Dreams
A lovely, ruminative movie set in the Pacific Northwest in the first half of the last century. Robert (Joel Edgerton) is a lumberjack, a taciturn man who comes to appreciate the life slipping between his fingers.
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
Baby Amelie believes herself to be a god. Her parents (Belgian diplomats in 60s Japan) can barely cope -- but find the perfect nanny to restore order in this delightful animated feature.
Left-Handed Girl
Co-written and edited by Sean Baker (Anora), Shi-Ching Tsou's heartwarming solo feature debut follows a single mom in Taipei who is too consumed with her noodle stand to keep tabs on her five-year-old daughter's burgeoning shoplifting habit.