The story of an emotional family reunion is at the heart of the second documentary in Surrey Civic Theatres’ new Film Night series, with a screening planned Friday, Nov. 1 at city hall’s Centre Stage theatre.
Director Tasha Hubbard’s Birth of a Family focuses on Indigenous siblings – three sisters and a brother –who, during the so-called “Sixties Scoop,” were adopted as infants into separate, non-Indigenous families across North America. In the film, they meet together for the first time.
Betty Ann, Esther, Rosalie and Ben were just four of the 20,000 Indigenous Canadian children taken from their families between 1955 and 1985. “As the four siblings piece together their shared history, their connection deepens, and their family begins to take shape,” explains a post on the National Film Board of Canada’s website (nfb.ca).
Birth of a Family (Trailer) from NFB/marketing on Vimeo.
CLICK HERE for Surrey event details.
In Surrey, the 79-minute movie is presented in partnership with the NFB. Also screened on Nov. 1 will be Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter’s short, The Mountain of SGaana, described as “a magical tale of a young man who is stolen away to the spirit world, and the young woman who rescues him.” The film, based on a story inspired by an old Haida fable, combines traditional animation with elements of Haida art.
• RELATED STORY, from Sept. 17: Surrey’s new doc-film series launches with ‘Because We Are Girls’ story of sexual abuse.
Tickets are $12 for the general-seating event. For details, visit tickets.surrey.ca or call 604-501-5566. The theatre is located at 13450 104th Ave., Surrey.
For those who’d rather watch at home, Birth of a Family can be streamed on CBC’s Gem website.
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