A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life.
SUGARCANE premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Directing Award: U.S. Documentary, and has since garnered over a dozen awards. Acquired by National Geographic Documentary Films, SUGARCANE is in theaters now and will stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
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, sparking a national outcry and setting off searches across North America. After years of silence, the forced separation, assimilation and abuse many children experienced at these segregated boarding schools is coming to light.
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.
"Breathtaking."
"Enlightening and infuriating."
"Stunning"
"A haunting journey."
"A portrait of what remains when injustice occurs."
"Immersive and beautiful"
Indian residential school history and its impact are not in the past.
The Sugarcane impact campaign will spark conversation and promote education around Canadian residential schools and U.S. Indian boarding schools, and the intergenerational harm this system of forced assimilation and genocide left in its wake.
We are bringing Sugarcane to Indian Country, faith communities, educational spaces and beyond to support healing, correct the historical record, provoke dialogue and seek accountability from the church, government and individuals.
If you are interested in bringing Sugarcane to your community, using it as an educational tool or partnering with us on this work, please fill out the form here.
