Bones of Crows is told through the eyes of Cree matriarch and main character, Aline Spears. (Farah Nosh/Elevation Pictures)

By Martin Martinson

June 23-28

‘Bones of Crows,’ a story of generational resilience, coming to North Battleford

Jun 19, 2023 | 5:14 PM

“A testimony to multi-generation resilience,” and “a look at our history from an Indigenous point of view.”

That is how award-winning Métis/Dene filmmaker Marie Clements, describes her latest film, “Bones of Crows,” which will be coming to the North Battleford big screen, June 23-28 at the Capitol Theatre Annex.

The story is told through the eyes of the main protagonist, Aline Spears, a young Cree woman who is removed from her family home and forced into the residential school system, along with her siblings at a young age.

It tells of not only her experiences in the residential school system, but those of Spears and her descendants over the next 100 years, as they fight against systemic starvation, racism, and sexual abuse, to build a brighter future.

An emotional portrayal of life in residential schools and its lasting effects, Clements said the story’s importance made it imperative to be told, despite some heavy subject matter and what was – at times – a grueling shooting process.

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“We pretty much put everything we had into the feature, and realizing the five-part mini-series,” Clement said, reflecting on the hours put in. “We shot in 10 or 11 different territories over 60 days which included both the feature and the mini-series, so it was a very long shooting schedule and very demanding and there were a lot of people involved.”

Clement said it was important to bring this story to the big screen, as it highlights the lasting effects residential schools have had on so many over the subsequent generations.

“I don’t think there’s been a multi-generational narrative on the Residential School experience, and for me, it was really important for people to understand this one person’s experience wasn’t just one person’s experience,” she said.

“It was important to see [that side of it] and hopefully for people to recognize and understand points in the drama they have experienced in their own families. Even though these experiences have made many feel alone, it’s been over 150 years and over 150,000 students that went through this, so it’s a really profound experience in our shared history in this country.”

Since making its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, Bones of Crows has also been shown at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, Calgary International Film Festival, and Santa Barbara Film Festival, receiving acclaim.

Clements added to see people connecting with the film emotionally has made the whole experience more than worth it.

“I think it’s such a huge relief,” she said. “To talk about resilience, our people’s resilience, and be able to see that on screen, obviously there are hard things this family portrayed went through but as we know in our own families, it is a testament to those people in our lives who survived despite all odds and survived with grace.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1