Miles Morrisseau
ICT
“Little Bird” led the way on a big night for Indigenous film and television creatives at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards on Friday, May 31. There were over 20 Indigenous led projects taking home awards in a wide variety of genres and creative roles from lead performances to costume design from news to comedy. It was a historic night.
“Little Bird,” the story based on the Sixties Scoop, a long-hidden part of Canada’s history took home the most television honors. The series which told the tale of one young woman finding her way back to home and family represents the reality for thousands of Indigenous children scooped from their homes and even from hospitals as newborns during the late 50’s and into the 1980’s to be raised in White homes.
The series was nominated for 19 awards and took home 13 including Best Drama Series. Best Direction in a Drama Series was picked up by Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Blackfoot and Sami, Best Supporting Performer in a Drama series went to Braeden Clarke, Mikisew Cree Nation, and Best Lead Performer, Drama Series was awarded to Darla Contois, Misipawistik Cree Nation.
Contois took to the stage in flowing floor length satin dress with fringe like eagle feather fluffs designed by Heather Bouchier, Plains Cree. “I want to say thank you first and foremost, to my mom for teaching me to believe in myself,” she said with the golden statue clutched in both hands. “When I was a little kid, she wrote on my wall, Darla, you’re a star…she truly ingrained it in my head, that I could do anything that I wanted to do. And so I wouldn’t be here without her.”
In addition to thanking her husband and her family for sending her money when she couldn’t find work, she also thanked the producers of “Little Bird.” “I want to say thank you to Jennifer Podemski, Hannah Moscovitch, Jeremy Podeswa, Christina Fon, Ernie Webb, Catherine Bainbridge, all the producers who fought for me when I was an unknown actor without an agent auditioning for ‘Little Bird.’ Nobody had any idea who I was. And I just want to say thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you.”
The series also won the award for Best Ensemble Performance, recognizing the cast of the generational drama. Maxime Lahaie-Denis won Best Picture Editing, Claudine Sauvé won for Best Photography, Pina Robinson won for Best Achievement in Hair. The series also picked up the awards for Best Achievement in Casting, Best Achievement in Make-Up, Best Sound as well as Best Production Design or Art Direction in Fiction.
Charity Gadica, Peepeekiskis Cree Nation, received the award for Best Costume Design.
Jennifer Podemski’s journey to awards
The series was created by actress/film producer Jennifer Podemski and Hannah Moscovitch. Podemski, who is Jewish, Anishinaabe, Leni Lenape and Métis, took to the main stage and shared some of her journey. “I have been working in Canadian show business for 35 years. There’s no part of this circus that I haven’t experienced from background performing to show running and so many things in between,” said Podemski during the awards broadcast. “I’ve pretty much seen it all. And I’m still here kicking down doors and sometimes flipping tables, but I’m still here. Yes, there have been challenges and systemic barriers to overcome. But all of that is overshadowed by the magic of co-creation, collaboration, team building, teamwork and storytelling.”
Podemski’s great night also included a win for the documentary, “Coming Home: Wanna Icipus Kupi,” which was selected for the Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary Program. The show revealed the impacts of the Sixties Scoop and explores Indigenous resilience through narrative sovereignty; as lived by the “Little Bird” series’ Indigenous creatives, cast, crew and community members.
The documentary was directed by Erica Daniels, Ojibway and Cree from Peguis First Nation. “I accept this on behalf of all of us, to all of the Indigenous storytellers in this room,” said Daniels during the pre-broadcast awards presentation. “Keep taking up space, we need more of these stories so much.”
In addition to “Little Bird’s” high flying 13 wins there were at least eight other Indigenous led nominees that took home the top award in their category.
Winners in News, Documentary and Comedy
Canada’s all Indigenous broadcaster APTN took home two of the top news awards with wins for its program APTN Investigates which won Best News or Information Series as well as Best Photography – News or Information Series. In addition to being the broadcast partner along with CRAVE-TV on “Little Bird,” it was a great night for APTN.
Sarain Fox, Anishinaabe, took home the award for Best Host or Interviewer, News or Information for her work on “Veracity: Indiqueer.”
“Thunder Bay,” the series that is a chilling look into the high number of unexplained and unsolved murders of First Nations in the eponymous northwestern Ontario town, won Best Factual Series and Best Writing Factual Series.
Winner for Best Comedy Special went to “Comedy Invasion: Rez Style.” Keith “Bubbas” Nahanee, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw – Squamish Nation is the featured comic in the award-winning episode. In his acceptance speech for the award Nahanee gave a shout out to the Indigenous comedians working across Turtle Island dedicating the win, “To all the warriors going in and out of that stage every night.”
Film and Digital Media
In the digital media categories, Best Immersive Experience was awarded to “This is Not a Ceremony” by Niitsitapi writer and director Ahnahktsipiitaa (Colin Van Loon).
The film awards were dominated by “Blackberry,” the biopic is a classic rags to riches to rags story about how the first must-have smartphone was created, dominated the market and then disappeared.
“Twice Colonized” took home the award for Best Documentary Feature. Lin Alluna, Stacey Aglok Macdonald, Inuk, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Inuk, Emile Hertling Péronard, Bob Moore. The film documents the life of Aaja Peters, a renowned Greenlandic Inuit lawyer and activist who defends the human rights of Indigenous peoples of the Arctic, and a fierce protector of her ancestral lands. She works to bring her colonizers in both Canada and Denmark to justice. As Aaju launches an effort to establish an Indigenous forum at the European Union, she also embarks upon a complex and deeply personal journey to mend her own wounds.
In addition to the Indigenous winners in the awards category there was a memorial for the late Mi’kmaq filmmaker Jeff Barnaby and a special award for Devery Jacobs, Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory. Jacobs received the Radius Award given to an artist whose work has had a resounding global Impact. The star of “Reservation Dogs” can be seen on big screens in the cheerleader drama, “Backspot.”
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