Sugarcane x Native Arts and Cultures Foundation

Sat, Jan 24

Sat, Jan 24

3:00 pm

Run Time: 107 min.

TICKETS $15

Doors 2:30 p.m.; Event 3 p.m.
Select Showtime to Purchase Tickets

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THE EXPERIENCE

Join us for Sugarcane, a powerful documentary about resilience, love, and survival in a Native community confronting the legacy of residential schools.

Following the screening, there will be a panel discussion presented by Native Arts & Cultures Foundation. Panelists include: Shyla Spicer, David G. Lewis, Jillene Joseph, and Chenoa Landry.

ON SCREEN: Sugarcane

2024. Directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie. Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes. Rated R.

A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life – SUGARCANE, the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie – is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning. Set amidst a ground-breaking investigation into abuse and death at an Indian residential school, the film empowers participants to break cycles of intergenerational trauma by bearing witness to painful, long-ignored truths – and the love that endures within their families despite the revelation of genocide.

In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves near an Indian residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada sparked a national outcry about the forced separation, assimilation, and abuse many children experienced at this network of segregated boarding schools designed to slowly destroy the culture and social fabric of Indigenous communities. When Kassie- a journalist and filmmaker- asked her old friend and colleague, NoiseCat, to direct a film documenting the Williams Lake First Nation investigation of St Joseph’s Mission, she never imagined just how close this story was to his own family. As the investigation continued, Emily and Julian traveled back to the rivers, forests and mountains of his homelands to hear the myriad stories of survivors. During production, Julian’s own story became an integral part of this beautiful multi-stranded portrait of a community. By offering space, time, and profound empathy the directors unearthed what was hidden. Kassie and NoiseCat encountered both the extraordinary pain these individuals had to suppress as a tool for survival and the unique beauty of a group of people finding the strength to persevere.

ON STAGE

Shyla Spicer (Yakama) | She/her
President/CEO; Native Arts + Cultures Foundation

Shyla, an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation grew up in Portland, Oregon, and returns to her hometown to take on this pivotal role. With over 15 years of dynamic leadership experience in building thriving organizations and fostering high-performing teams, Shyla brings a unique blend of strategic vision and operational expertise to NACF.

David G. Lewis (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, of Oregon) | He/him
PhD Assistant Professor; Anthropology & Indigenous Studies, Oregon State University

David G. Lewis is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a descendant of the Takelma, Chinook, Molalla, and Santiam Kalapuya people of western Oregon. David studied tribal history and context for 16 years at the University of Oregon. He is now an Assistant Professor at Oregon State University where he teaches Anthropology and Indigenous Studies. David’s Tribal history research includes Northwest Coast History, and histories of the Traditional lands of western Oregon. David Completed the book Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley (Ooligan Press, 2023), numerous articles and chapters of books, and has over 500 essays published on the blogsite The Quartux Journal: ndnhistoryresearch.com.

Jillene Joseph (A’aniih) | She/her
Executive Director; Native Wellness Institute

Jillene Joseph is an enrolled citizen of the A’aniiih nation of north central Montana and currently resides in Oregon with her family. She is one of the founders and executive director of the Native Wellness Institute. Jillene has been providing healing and wellness related work in Indian Country for over 40 years.

Chenoa Landry (Puyallup) | She/her
Education Mode Lead; Native Wellness Institute

Chenoa is a member of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and currently works for Native Wellness Institute (NWI) as the Education Mode Lead for the Future Generations Collaborative (FGC). She also serves on the board of International School of Portland. She was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and has also lived in many other places throughout what is now known as the U.S.

HOSTED BY: Native Arts + Cultures Foundation

The Native Arts + Cultures Foundation advances equity and cultural knowledge, focusing on the power of arts and collaboration to strengthen Native communities and promote positive social change with American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples in the United States.

UNORTHODOX DOCS