LOS ANGELES — Two young directors, Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat, are currently in the limelight of the awards season as they journey towards the Oscars. Their documentary “Sugarcane” has been nominated and is a poignant exploration of the lasting impact of Native residential schools, portraying the resilience of Indigenous communities.
“This is a story that has gone untold for so long,” said Kassie.
“We think that this story is incredibly important right now,” said NoiseCat.
“Sugarcane” delves into a dark chapter of history shared by Canada and the United States. This Oscar-nominated film delves into the harrowing reality of residential schools for Native children, exposing the long history of forced separation of families, assimilation practices, and the mistreatment of Indigenous youth.
Kassie and NoiseCat were on the red carpet at the DGA Awards, proudly representing their film.
“Being here among the luminaries of this art form with our film ‘Sugarcane,’ which unravels the silenced narrative of cultural genocide right here in North America,” commented NoiseCat.
“It’s such an honor for us to help bring it forward,” said Kassie. “For me, I’ve been making documentaries since I was 14. It was 10 years ago I won the student Academy Award for documentary. It’s been 10 years trying to build my skill set and work on these stories that matter.”
Both Kassie and NoiseCat are first time Oscar nominees. They’ve been doing their best to enjoy the awards season.
“We center ourselves in what this film is about, which is a community who haven’t had a voice for over a century,” said Kassie. “We just continue to bring it back to making sure that people know the story. We want as many people to see this film as possible. Just to see people be moved by the film in so many different ways keeps you going.”
NoiseCat added: “Native people are not usually well represented in front of the camera and seldom if at all behind it. And, you know, we hope that this trend with Native stories being told and honored and respected and celebrated in this way continues.”
“Sugarcane” shows how Native communities are confronting their past while finding hope for the future. The documentary is being streamed now on Disney+ and Hulu.
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