The Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School as seen on a Canada Post stamp. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

FIlm Festival

Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School documentary wins award

Mar 15, 2024 | 3:02 PM

A new documentary released about the Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School is being called powerful and eye opening.

The Indigenous Geographic documentary Waiting for Justice chronicles the lives and struggles of Île-à-la-Crosse (ILEX) Residential School survivors. The short film has been named the 2024 Best History Film at the Toronto Documentary Festival and the production is being screened this week as part of the Toronto Short Film Festival.

“Working on this project with our Indigenous Geographic team (Kaily Kay, Crystal Martin, and Derek Robitaille) was a profound honour,” said Métis filmmaker Matt LeMay.

“We wholeheartedly commit to supporting the ILEX survivors and their community until justice is rightfully served.”

Despite being one of the oldest boarding schools in the country, the Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School has never been formally recognized as such or its survivors compensated by the federal or provincial government.

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Louis Gardiner, a school survivor, is named in a class action lawsuit filed against Canada and Saskatchewan in 2022. The Survivors Committee eagerly awaits a King’s Bench court ruling that could allow the suit to proceed.

“On one hand, it’s a difficult film for us to watch but it’s something we felt necessary to be a part of to keep our stories alive and apply pressure on the appropriate governments and institutions to reach a settlement before all of our survivors are lost,” Gardiner said.

Waiting for Justice was co-produced with the full support of Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) in 2023.

“While the film has garnered this prestigious recognition, our survivors have not,” said MN–S President Glen McCallum.

“It’s difficult to celebrate the award knowing that survivors are still looking for restitution.”

MN–S is working diligently to host its own screenings of Waiting for Justice in various regions of Saskatchewan, specifically in ILEX. Once secured, communities will be invited to attend.

The documentary can be watched at Indigenous Geographic’s website here. More information about the ILEX survivors can be found online here.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com