EVENT NOTIFICATION
DATE: 6 p.m. Monday, April 14, 2025
EVENT: The University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy is set to present a complimentary, exclusive screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary, “Sugarcane,” followed by a discussion with filmmakers Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.
This documentary chronicles an inquiry into the mistreatment and disappearance of children at Canada’s St. Joseph’s Mission near Williams Lake, British Columbia, a Catholic-operated Indigenous boarding institution that functioned until 1981. It highlights a community overcoming cycles of intergenerational trauma and discovering resilience to endure.
The film debuted at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it was honored with the U.S. Documentary Directing Award.
Kassie is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and investigative journalist. NoiseCat, a writer and Oscar-nominated filmmaker, is also a scholar of Salish art and history. He became the first Indigenous filmmaker from North America to receive an Academy Award nomination.
The documentary was granted the prestigious opportunity of a rare White House screening, which was attended by then-Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
“‘Sugarcane’ illuminates this disgraceful segment of history, helping to ensure it is never forgotten or repeated,” stated former President Joe Biden in a correspondence to the filmmakers following the screening.
NoiseCat delivered the commencement speech at the Ford School in 2022 and was one of the inaugural fellowship recipients at the Center for Racial Justice during the 2022-23 academic year. While at the Ford School, NoiseCat contributed to “Sugarcane” and also worked on his debut book, “We Survived the Night,” which seeks to reclaim stories about Indigenous communities in both the U.S. and Canada. It is scheduled for release later this year.
LOCATION: Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor
SPONSORS: Department of American Culture, Native American Studies, Native American Student Association