INDIAN
HORSE
FOCUS QUEBEC / CANADA
The film is based on the novel by a Canadian author and journalist Richard Wagamese who was an Ojibwe from the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations in
northwestern Ontario.
The film deals with the dark past of the Canadian history for which in 2008 the Prime Minister of Canada Stephan Harper had apologized to the former students of the Indian residential school system. They were boarding schools for the Indigenous peoples' children, founded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs and administered by Christian churches. Its purpose was to remove children from the influence of their own culture to assimilate them into the dominant Canadian way of life. Over its more than hundred years of existence, about 150,000 (roughly 30%) of Indigenous children were placed in residential schools, and 6,000 of them (it is speculated more than that) have died while there.
The film portrays a story of an Ojibwee boy Saul Indian Horse who was removed from his community and his cultural roots at the age of eight and brought to a Residential school. It portrays the cold, strict and inhuman environment in those schools, and the hardships the native children had to endure. The only way Saul could bear his fate was to get involved with hockey. He had an uncanny skill to feel the spirit of the game inside himself, to become one with that spirit, to master the game to the highest level of proficiency with all its intricacies, strategies, moves and passes. It was hockey that helped him to endure the unbearable environment of the residential school that also brought him out of it earlier than required. He was destined for success, yet overwhelmed by the racist attitude he encountered even from his team mates, he began the painful journey to his own native roots and healing...
FNC FILM SYNOPSES
"Inheritance, family bonds and identity are at the heart of this coming-of-age story based on the novel by Richard Wagamese. Spanning several decades, the film follows the difficult journey of Saul Indian Horse, a young Ojibwa boy who grew up in 1960s Ontario. Scarred by the spirit-destroying effects of residential school, he battles racism while developing his outstanding talent for hockey. Indian Horse takes an ambitious approach, peeling back the layers of “official” Canadian history as it paints a moving portrait of resilience."
Director: Stephen S. Camplianel
Writer: Dennis Foon
Starring: Sladen Peltier, Forrest Goodluck, Ajuawak Kapashesit
SCREENING
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 11, 2017
Program #214, 19:00, Cineplex Odeon Quartier SALLE 17
FRIDAY OCTOBER 13, 2017
Program #273, 17:00, Cineplex Odeon Quartier SALLE 17
The film's director Stephen S. Camplianel will be present at both screenings to answer the audience's questions.
For more informations about the FNC, the program, film scheduling and various venues visit the FNC festival's website.
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