NEWS RELEASE
BARRIE FILM FESTIVAL
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On Oct. 14, 2023 at the Galaxy Cinemas, the Barrie Film Festival (BFF) and the Barrie Native Friendship Centre (BNFC) are honoured to welcome four of the Elders presented in the film, along with director/co-producer and Barrie’s own Faith Howe, a descendant of a child of the Mohawk Institute, and co-producer Michael Howe for a special post-screening Q&A.
The Nature of Healing is the spoken truth of seven survivors of the Mohawk Institute that was located in Brantford, Ont. It was Canada’s first and longest running residential school. From victim to survivor, to activist, this is a story of resistance, resilience, and a healing path.
What began as a simple conversation about the Mohawk Village Memorial Park that survivors have been building for 10-years, became a full feature documentary. This park needs to be completed to commemorate the 15,000 children who were taken from more than 60 communities losing their families, culture, identity, and for some, their lives.
The 139 residential schools were Canada’s sanctioned system of dehumanization, neglect, brutality, and child abuse in all its forms in order to obliterate the Red Nation footprint. The Elders, Grandfathers, and Grandmothers, who speak out now, do so not only for themselves, but for the thousands of children across Turtle Island who never could.
The award-winning feature documentary was produced alongside seven survivors of the Mohawk Institute and JamLab Productions.
The Nature of Healing has screened at numerous festivals across Canada extending to Arizona in the USA, and has received the following awards: 2023 Special Jury Award for Bridging Cultures, Arizona International Film Festival; 2023 Special Jury Prize, Weengushk International Film Festival; 2023 Special Jury Prize “Most Impactful Film”, Female Eye Film Festival; 2023 Best Documentary, Three Fires International Film Festival.
The Nature of Healing will be shown as part of the 26th Barrie Film Festival on Saturday, Oct. 14, 1 p.m. at Galaxy Cinemas, 72 Commerce Park, Barrie, Ont.. Tickets are $10.
The 26th Barrie Film Festival runs Oct. 13-22, 2023. For information, click here.
Faith Howe, Director/Co-Producer of The Nature of Healing: Faith’s love of story pulls from the rich history in her DNA, she is a descendant of Six Nations of the Grand River, Mohawk Nation, intertwined with Irish, Scottish and German settlers.
Faith is a graduate of the Georgian College Digital Video Production Post Grad Program, and successfully submitted her short films “Ode To Claire” and “Hotbox” to the Barrie Film Festival Short Film Program, achieving placement in the Simcoe County category in 2021, and winning the Simcoe Audio Video People’s Choice Award and placement in Simcoe County category in 2018. Ode To Claire was shown at festivals nationally and internationally.
The Nature of Healing, her first documentary and award winner, has been, and continues to be an honouring and humbling journey, spending precious time with Survivors of the Mohawk Institute who courageously told their story.
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