Watch full film rent or buy "We Were Children"
"Truth contributes to healing. The endgame is peace within one's Self, and within society... How can we heal as a people if we are still blind to the facts."
- Dr Marie Wilson of Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC)
- Dr Marie Wilson of Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC)
"We Were Children" gives voice to a national tragedy and demonstrates the incredible resilience of the human spirit. Truth contributes to healing - for over 130 years till 1996, more than 100,000 of Canada's First Nations children were legally required to attend government-funded schools run by various Christian faiths. There were 80 of these 'residential schools' across the country. Most children were sent faraway separated from their families and traditional land. These children endured brutality, physical hardship, mental degradation, and the complete erasure of their culture.
The schools were part of a wider program of assimilation designed to integrate the native population into 'Canadian society.'
Schools were established with the express purpose 'To kill the Indian in the child.'
Told through their own voices, 'We Were Children' is the shocking true story of two such children: Glen Anaquod and Lyna Hart. In this feature film, the profound impact of the residential school system is conveyed through the eyes of two children who were forced to face hardships beyond their years. As young children, Lyna and Glen were taken from their homes and placed in church-run boarding schools, where they suffered years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, the effects of which persist in their adult lives.
Interview with filmmakers
"We were Children"
Directed by Tim Wolochatiuk
Written by Jason Sherman
We Were Children is produced by:
Kyle Irving for Eagle Vision Inc.
and
David Christensen for National Film Board of Canada (NFB).
Produced by Laszlo Barna
Executive producer and producer David Christensen
Executive producer and producer Kyle Irving
Associate producer Jessica Lo
Associate producer Loren Mawhinney
Executive producer Lisa Meeches
Interview with filmmakers
Interview with filmmakers
