K煤kpi7 (chief) Willie Sellars of Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) gave a loud shout as the word 鈥楽ugarcane鈥� appeared on his phone, confirming the film鈥檚 Oscar nomination for best documentary feature.
鈥淚 just started crying, good tears, tears of joy,鈥� Sellars said on Thursday, Jan. 23, the day the Oscar nominations for the 2025 Academy Awards were announced.
He said his emotions were a culmination of five years of hard work as Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie documented WLFN鈥檚 investigation into the former St. Joseph鈥檚 Mission residential school (SJM) which operated nearby. The documentary became a personal story for co-director NoiseCat, who explores his family鈥檚 own history in relation to the residential school during the film.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a story that is just so much bigger than me,鈥� Sellars told Black Press Media. At least 150,000 children attended federally funded residential schools across the country between the 1880s and 1996, though residential schools existed even before then.
Sellars said the film had the power to educate and heal, and the more people who viewed it, the greater the opportunity to bring understanding and change.
"I would love to see this film part of the curriculum in every school in this country," he said. "I would love to just think that this film had a big part in the healing journey that we are on as a country and as Indigenous Peoples."
Looking solemn, proud and emotional, Sellars said he felt blessed and validated.
鈥淚鈥檓 still taking it in.鈥�
The film premiered just over a year ago at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Today, Sellars is wondering what a person wears when attending the Oscars, and how to represent his community while doing so. He鈥檚 got until March to figure that out and was able to turn to William Belleau of the nearby community of Esket (Alkali Lake) who played Henry Roan, an Osage husband and father, in the 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon.
Sellars hopes the site of the former St. Joseph's Mission residential school can become a place of commemoration and healing.
The award-winning documentary Sugarcane is now streaming on Disney+.
Viewers are advised to take care as they watch the documentary, with the film鈥檚 encouraging folks to organize a 鈥榳atch circle鈥� to create a space for discussion and support.
With Files from the Canadian Press.
For those needing support you can reach out to the following resources:
Hope for Wellness Helpline offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention by phone or online chat. Call toll-free 1-855-242-3310 or start a confidential online chat with a counsellor at hopeforwellness.ca.
Indian Residential School Survivors Society, National Crisis Line is a service for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their Residential School experience. Call toll-free 1-866-925-4419.
Interior Health Authority, Interior Crisis Line Network is a service for those in crisis. Call 1-888-353-2273 for immediate assistance. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
KUU-US Crisis Line Society provides crisis services for Indigenous Peoples across British Columbia. Adults/Elders call 250-723-4050. Youth call 250-723-2040. Or call tollfree 1-800-588-8717. Learn more at www.kuu-uscrisisline.com.
M茅tis Crisis Line is a service of Metis Nation British Columbia. Call 1-833-MetisBC (1-833-638-4722).
