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Sugarcane is the debut documentary film made by filmmakers Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat. It delves into the investigation of child disappearances in Canadian Indian residential schools run by the Catholic Church across the country. The documentary was produced by Kellen Quinn and Emily Kassie, which first got premiered on January 20, 2024, at the Sundance Film Festival.
National Geographic Documentary Films bought the film rights to Sugarcane in February 2024. Variance Films and Films We Like served as the co-distributors of the documentary film, and first released theatrically on August 9, 2024. It slowly expanded in different cities across Canada and the United States from August 16, 2024.
Sugarcane received a rating of 7.9/10 on IMDb. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film scored an astonishing 100% on Tomatometer out of 48 Reviews. On September 20, 2024, it is set to be released across OTT platforms including Hulu, and Disney Plus.
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Where to watch the documentary film Sugarcane?
Sugarcane will be available across OTT platforms from September 20, 2024. The major platforms include:
Hulu: Hulu's basic plan comes with Ads included, which starts from $9.99/month with a 30-day free trial for new and returning subscribers.
Disney Plus: The Disney Plus Basic Plan with Ads included comes for $9.99/month. The Disney Bundle Trio Basic comes with Hulu, and Disney Plus, including ESPN Plus with ads for $16.99/month. While the No Ads option comes for $29.99/month, with offline downloads.
What is the documentary Sugarcane all about?
The film is an investigation into the abuse and disappearance of children residing in the Canadian Indian residential schools, run by the Catholic Church.
The very first root behind the film began when traces of some unmarked graves were discovered near Sugarcane Reserves, which belonged to the residential schools meant for Native Indian children.
It sparked outrage throughout the nation, raising questions about the misconduct experienced by the children residing at Saint Joseph's Indian Residential School, located near Williams Lake in British Columbia. Numerous stories rose retelling the sexual abuse committed by priests and other clergies, who impregnated Indigenous girls.
Sugarcane primarily focuses on a story where a 20-year-old Native Indian woman, who left her newborn baby in a garbage bin. The story was reported in the Cariboo Observer on September 3, 1959. Antonious Stoop, a dairyman from that residential school found the baby and rushed him to the Williams Lake hospital.
The infant was Ed Archie NoiseCat, the father of director Julian Brave NoiseCat. Ed's story was one among the numerous sufferings faced by Indigenous native children at the hands of clergies.
Sugarcane's directors share their experience of making the documentary
Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat together won the Directing Award for U.S. Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. Sugarcane went on to win numerous awards across different international film festivals.
During a conversation on Deadline's Doc Talk Podcast, published on January 31, 2024, Julian reflected on his idea behind creating the film. He said,
“Our film tries to center a story about community and family, about the ties that bring us together and that endure despite the awful history of these schools and of this genocide.”
Julian stated that Indigenous people had a very awful history. Creating the documentary was somewhat challenging for the team, as the history of Catholic schools, was stained with stories of genocide.
However, he also went on to reflect on the optimistic light, showcasing the beauty of the Indigenous way of life, which stayed connected to the roots, even at times of complete extermination.
Kassie shared her perspective on the importance of telling the story, through a visual medium. She said,
“I think one of the powers of film is to connect us to our humanity and something within ourselves. And when a film can take you there and take you deep into people’s lives and psyches and you can get lost in it, I think is when it can have the most impact. So, we hope that people feel that as well as the journalistic and historic importance of the film.”
The official site of National Geographic Documentary Films has a collection of captivating documentaries, similar to Sugarcane from all over the globe. Make sure to check our other articles for suggestions on the best documentaries to watch.
