Film on legacy of residential schools in Canada nominated for best documentary at 2025 Oscars
Film examines harmful legacy of Canada’s residential school system
Williams Lake First Nation Chief Willie Sellars cried — for the first time in a while — tears of joy on Thursday morning when this year's Oscar nominees were announced.
"I shouted tears of joy, and then I cried tears of joy," he told CBC's Daybreak Kamloops host Shelley Joyce.
Sellars and his community were featured in Sugarcane, which details the legacy of residential schools in Canada, and in particular, that of the St. Joseph's Mission near Williams Lake, B.C.
The film has been widely praised by audiences at film festivals around the world, and now it's been nominated for the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Sugarcane is the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat, a member of the Canim Lake Band Tsq̓éscen̓, and follows him and his father as they learn about the history of the institution.
Operated by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate from 1886 to 1981, St. Joseph's Mission was just outside the Williams Lake First Nation community core of T'exelc, also known as Sugar Cane.
It explores the Williams Lake First Nation's ongoing investigation into St. Joseph's, which has heard accounts of disappearances, murders, systematic torture, rape and starvation of children and newborn babies fathered by priests tossed into the school's incinerator.
"The history and legacy of residential schools in this country have had a significant impact on all of our communities through the direct trauma, through the intergenerational trauma," Sellars said.
"But the most disturbing thing about that conversation is most Canadians and most people in the world don't know that story ... people are going to be talking about it now. Hopefully, it will empower the survivors to tell their story."
The film has been screened at a number of festivals, including Sundance, where it won a directing award, and at the White House in December.
In a statement from NoiseCat and co-director Emily Kassie, the filmmakers thanked all involved in the project for their support, in particular, the survivors and their families who shared their stories for the film.
"We are overjoyed and filled with gratitude for this acknowledgment from the Academy," the statement reads.
"In a moment where justice seems out of reach, we are grateful that Sugarcane has helped illuminate the truth, bring about healing and called institutions of power to account."
The 2025 Academy Awards will be held on March 2.
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With files from Candace Maracle and Daybreak Kamloops