Ninan Auassat: We, the Children
The mission of the Centre d'art et essai de la Cinémathèque québécoise (CAECQ) is to primary program Quebec-made documentaries and independent fiction, as well as international documentaries, animated and foreign films, while encouraging opportunities for meetings between the public and the artists. Its programming is presented in conjunction with the Cinémathèque québécoise’s under the label New releases.
The February 9 screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director
Winner of the TIDES Award for Best Canadian Documentary, 2024 VIFF
Winner of the Magnus Isacsson Award, 2024 RIDM
Known for her intimate and riveting films, director Kim O’Bomsawin now invites us to experience the vibrant universe of Ninan Auassat: We the Children. Shot over more than six years, the film brings us the moving stories of three groups of children from three different Indigenous nations: Atikamekw, Eeyou Cree and Innu.
In following these young people through the crucial milestones of childhood, right to the threshold of adulthood, we witness their daily lives and aspirations, along with the challenges they face. Filmed from “a child’s eye-view” and presenting a groundbreaking vision of contemporary Indigenous youth, this documentary is notable for the complete absence of adult voices and “experts on young people” — holding space instead for a new generation with a burning desire to be heard.
The result is a captivating journey that becomes a call to action, at a time when the voices of young people echo, demanding the right to be recognized and an opportunity to blossom.
The film will be presented with French & English subtitles.
Kim O'Bomsawin
Kim O’Bomsawin is an award-winning Abenaki documentary filmmaker and sociologist who’s deeply passionate about sharing the stories of Indigenous Peoples. She’s worked on and directed many different documentary series and web docs that have been broadcast on various channels. Her documentary Quiet Killing (Ce silence qui tue) won the Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary at the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards. Among her other notable films are the documentary Teweikan Revived (Du teweikan à l’électro), which won a Gemini in 2019, and the feature-length documentary Call me Human (Je m’appelle humain), honoured at the Gemini Awards in 2020. Her series Telling Our Story was shown in TIFF’s Primetime program in 2023. As the president of Terre Innue and Productions Innu Assi, she also gives talks on issues affecting Indigenous Peoples.
