Indian Road was one of the films screened at Human Rights DocFest 2009, an initiative of Journalists for Human Rights. Check out the Human Rights DocFest dossier for more info on this years' festival.
For over 100 years, Native children in Canada were taken from their homes and put into residential schools. Away from their reserves and their families, the government became their guardian. In the fall of 2007, the largest class action settlement in Canada began issuing payments to survivors of these schools. But, not everyone took the money; Audrey Redman wanted more. Indian Road is the experience of one person of the thousands who were eligible for compensation. It was produced before the Government of Canada issued a formal apology to survivors in the summer of 2008. Though many call the residential school system a cultural genocide, the claim was not made in courts. In Audrey's eyes, her loss of autonomy, separation from family and disconnect from her culture warranted more. The documentary examines the institutional challenge of righting wrongs. How do we finally acknowledge what was done? Can things be made better? Does money help?
For further information on HR Docfest visit: www.hrdocfest.com For further information on jhr visit: www.jhr.ca
