Screenwriter/director Marie Clements says every Indigenous person who worked on her residential school drama B次元官网网址淏ones of CrowsB次元官网网址� has their own family story of residential school and that brought deeper meaning to each dayB次元官网网址檚 shoot.

The historical saga debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend, and is set to open the Vancouver International Film Festival on Sept. 29.

It recounts decades of systemic abuse against Indigenous Peoples as seen through the eyes of a Cree woman who survives residential school, is sent to war, and is haunted by painful memories until she begins to confront her abusers.

The Vancouver-born Dene/M茅tis filmmaker Clements says she knows itB次元官网网址檚 been difficult for many Canadians to confront the painful history of Indigenous Peoples, and she hopes her sweeping drama can help. For Indigenous audiences, she hopes it offers B次元官网网址渟ome reliefB次元官网网址� to see their story told.

The largely Indigenous cast is led by Grace Dove and includes Graham Greene, Lorne Cardinal and a cameo by veteran documentary maker Alanis Obomsawin.

B次元官网网址淏ones of CrowsB次元官网网址� screens at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on Thursday. The Toronto International Film Festival wraps Sunday.

B次元官网网址淓very single Indigenous person that worked on this film B次元官网网址� crew or performer B次元官网网址� has their own story, their own family story of residential school,B次元官网网址� Clements said during a round of media interviews.

B次元官网网址淪o that kind of gives it a deeper meaning when we come to set and know this is what weB次元官网网址檙e doing today. And weB次元官网网址檙e going to go get it. Not just for ourselves, because weB次元官网网址檙e driven that way anyway as artists, but for our families and for the truth.B次元官网网址�

Clements says itB次元官网网址檚 important to examine things that are unpleasant, discuss them and address them.

B次元官网网址淚 think, strangely in the world, thereB次元官网网址檚 still people that donB次元官网网址檛 know about residential schools, donB次元官网网址檛 know that it was a government policy, and that it was, you know, 150 years in the making,B次元官网网址� says Clements.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e still trying to get to the truth. And I think that takes a long time in this country for people to understand what that means.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擟assandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press