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.
Oct 4, 5 & 11: Q&A
Community Partner
Tasha Hubbard
Michael Greyeyes, Michelle Thrush, Carmen Moore, Alex Rice
Canada
2025
In English and French with English subtitles
Residential schools
Book Tickets
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
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Sentimental Value
A once-revered director crashes back into his family’s lives, eager to recruit his daughter for a film role. When she declines, he finds a new muse in an eager but unpolished Hollywood star, sending his botched reconciliation spiraling into chaos.
The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes
A beautiful portrait of E.J. Hughes, who quietly helped reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia in the 20th century. This extraordinary documentary explores Hughes’s legacy not only as an artist, but as a devoted, humble human being.
Cutting Through Rocks
Winner of Sundance's World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize, Cutting Through Rocks follows Sara Shahverdi — motorcyclist, midwife, and first-ever councilwoman elected in her Iranian village. A vérité triumph by Sara Khaki & Mohammadreza Eyni.
A Poet
When embittered poet Oscar Restrepo takes a job at a local high school, he meets Yurlady, a talented student from a poor background. Seeking to help her cultivate her art, he draws her into the poetry world — to disastrous and comedic results.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and Special Jury Prize Winner, Sundance, 2025, this exposé shot by a Russian primary teacher shows how the Putin propaganda machine works to militarize children.
Cousin Harley + Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Come join Local Hillbilly heroes Cousin Harley, for a night of traditional Rockabilly, Western Swing and early Rock n Roll before reveling in the rock n roll biopic excess of John C Reilly as the legendary Dewey Cox!