On the heels of today’s announcement of the Toronto International Film Festival’s Celebrating Alanis retrospective comes the first clip for Alanis Obomsawin’s latest doc, Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair. Released today by the NFB, the clip offers the first look at Obomsawin’s portrait of the Senator who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as Canada began its first steps towards accountability for the residential schools system. The doc will premiere as a TIFF theatrical screening that includes a sneak peek at animator Terril Calder’s upcoming film about Obomsawin.
Synopsis: As the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Senator Murray Sinclair was a key figure in raising global awareness of the atrocities of Canada’s residential school system. With determination, wisdom and kindness, Senator Sinclair remains steadfast in his belief that the path to actual reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people requires understanding and accepting often difficult truths about Canada’s past and present. Alanis Obomsawin shares the powerful speech the Senator gave when he accepted the WFM-Canada World Peace Award, interspersing the heartbreaking testimonies of former students imprisoned at residential schools. The honouring of Senator Sinclair reminds us to honour the lives and legacies of the tens of thousands of Indigenous children taken from their homes and cultures, and—with hope—points us to a better future.
