Sugarcane

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2:16

Poster for

Sugarcane

R

Released Aug 9, 2024

1h 47m

Documentary

History

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Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

65 Reviews

80%

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100+ Ratings

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. In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves was discovered on the grounds of an Indian residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada. After years of silence, the forced separation, assimilation and abuse many children experienced at these segregated boarding schools was brought to light, sparking a national outcry against a system designed to destroy Indigenous communities. Set amidst a groundbreaking investigation, SUGARCANE illuminates the beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to persevere.

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Critics Consensus

Accumulating immense emotional power as it methodically uncovers a grave injustice, Sugarcane is one of the most compelling and important documentaries of the year.

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Dan Einav

Financial Times

Kassie and NoiseCat marry rigour with compassion, giving the survivors the platform to talk while understanding that some things are too hard to put into words.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 23, 2024

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

The damaged, rising community depicted in Sugarland are in no mood for apologies. They want accountability.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 28, 2024

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

It’s a remarkably courageous and exposed work, particularly for co-director Julian Brave NoiseCat and his father, Ed Archie NoiseCat, whose painful journey together in search of healing is the film’s spine.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 23, 2024

Full Review

Erin Free

FILMINK (Australia)

Sugarcane succeeds on every level...

Rated: 19.5/20

Feb 12, 2025

Full Review

Jared Mobarak

Hey, Have You Seen ...?

I think that familial, personal connection allows Sugarcane to go to the dark places in which these types of journalistic exposés aren't often able to go. You need a ton of trust to go on-the-record and revisit a nightmare.

Rated: 8/10

Jan 17, 2025

Full Review

Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

This is a big subject, but this film succeeds by making it very personal, especially the very emotional personal cost of what happened at this school. The attempts to confront the past include a number of churches burned by those angry about this issue.

Rated: A

Jan 16, 2025

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lynne c

Great storytelling of a too well hidden history. So impressed with the film makers and stars of the film- such courage and vulnerability

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/30/24

Full Review

Juan Aninao

This moving film educated us about a type of facility we never knew existed, and exposed the evil committed by the Catholic priests and nuns who ran these schools where Native American children who had been ripped away from their families and who had placed their trust in these new caretakers were horribly betrayed. It is a must-see film for anyone who cares about protecting not only childrens rights, but all human rights.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/23/24

Full Review

david m

What a powerful film and an untold story. So sad that the church and leaders of these Residential Schools continue to do what they did. And how sad that it has impacted the lives of these children, and then as they became adults, impacted their own children. When will the cycle stop? Such a powerful film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/18/24

Full Review

Tom F

Starting as a low-boil documentary unfolding the story of Canadian boarding schools, the heartbreak comes as the survivors better understand the horrors they and previous generations endured.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/29/25

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Josipa K

Powerful. Devastating. Painful. Unmarked graves. Incinerators. Victims and witnesses. This was cultural genocide.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/26/25

Full Review

Hugh J

Every country has a stain on their history. This is unfortunately Canada's. Finding these unmarked graves re-opened generally still fresh wounds among the native population. This film is a raw emotional portrayal of the suffering and resilience found among survivors of residential schools.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/10/25

Full Review

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Emily Kassie

Director

Julian Brave NoiseCat

Director

Julian Brave NoiseCat

Self

Emily Kassie

Producer

Kellen Quinn

Producer

Bill Way

Executive Producer

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Sugarcane: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

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. In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves was discovered on the grounds of an Indian residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada. After years of silence, the forced separation, assimilation and abuse many children experienced at these segregated boarding schools was brought to light, sparking a national outcry against a system designed to destroy Indigenous communities. Set amidst a groundbreaking investigation, SUGARCANE illuminates the beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to persevere.

Director: Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat
Producer: Emily Kassie, Kellen Quinn
Distributor: National Geographic Documentary Films
Production Co: Kassie Films, Impact Partners, Fit Via Vi Film Productions, Hedgehog Films
Rating: R
Genre: Documentary, History
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 10, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $106.2K
Runtime: 1h 47m

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