Birth of a Family
Directed byTasha Hubbard
Written byTasha Hubbard, Betty Ann Adams
Production
company
Release date
May 2, 2017 (Canada)

Birth of a Family is a 2017 First Nations Canadian documentary directed by Tasha Hubbard[1] and co-written by Hubbard and Betty Ann Adams. It follows three sisters and a brother, adopted as infants into separate families across North America, who meet together for the first time.[2]

Summary

The reunion emerged from decades of searching by Betty Ann Adams, the eldest of the family.[3] Removed from their young Dene mother's care as part of Canada's infamous Sixties Scoop, Betty Ann, Esther, Rosalie and Ben were four of the 20,000 Indigenous children taken from their families between 1955 and 1985, to be either adopted into white families or to live in foster care. The documentary follows the siblings as they reunite in Banff, Alberta. As the four siblings piece together their shared history, their connection deepens, bringing laughter with it, and their family begins to take shape.[4]

Filming process

In 2014, Betty Ann Adam, a reporter at The StarPhoenix, approached Hubbard about documenting her planned reunion and her intentions to direct the project.

Hubbard pitched the idea to the National Film Board (NFB) and the response was immediately supportive. However, the NFB made it a condition that Hubbard be director. Adam agreed in order to be more emotionally and physically present for the upcoming reunion. In an article for The StarPhoenix, she emphasised the importance of having a director who had a similar lived experience of forced removal and adoption into a non-Indigenous family during the Sixties Scoop.[5] Adam said, "It was perfect to have a director who had that same experience in her lived experience. We knew that would inform her approach toward the story, that she would understand certain things about what we were going through." This responsibility for holding space and minimal interference was central to the filming.

Despite the circumstances of the reunion taking place in a small cabin and it being a two-camera shoot, Adam says Hubbard was able to shoot the film without distracting the family from the connections they were there to make. "For us, things probably went as smoothly as they could. I think that's because she was taking care of things behind the scenes so they didn't interfere with our experience," Adam says.[5]

Reception

Reception of the documentary has been positive. It has featured in many festivals including the 2017 Talking Stick Festival,[6] Edmonton International Film Festival,[7] and the Toronto International Film Festival.[4]

Patrick Mullen of Point of View reviews the film as "relevatory" and "a family reunion doc like you've never seen."[8] Gateway Online calls this film a "triumph," writing in their review, "Birth of a Family reminds viewers of a painful past that many First Nations peoples had and continue to trudge through."[9] Canada's documentary films festival described the film as a "raw emotion, a heart-wrenching combination of pain and joy, shown by the siblings throughout the film is as moving as anything I have seen on film. Their willingness to lay bare their experiences and feelings is inspiring, and while their story is devastating to watch it acts as a reminder of the resilience of the First Nations people who, against all odds and despite every effort to destroy them, continue to persevere."[10]

Awards

Award body Date Category Result Ref.
Edmonton International Film Festival October 15, 2017 Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature Won [11]
imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival October 22, 2017 Special Jury Prize – Moon Jury Won [12]

References

  1. ↑ Staff Writer (October 17, 2017). "Filmmaker Tasha Hubbard's personal connection to the Sixties Scoop". CBC Radio. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  2. ↑ Hubbard, Tasha (May 2, 2017), Birth of a Family, retrieved March 12, 2018
  3. ↑ "Birth of a Family". Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Birth of a Family". TIFF. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Through a compassionate lens: Tasha Hubbard highlights systemic injustices". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. September 8, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Reel Reservations: Cinematic Indigenous Sovereignty Series". fullcircle.ca. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  7. ↑ "BIRTH OF A FAMILY - Edmonton International Film Festival". www.edmontonfilmfest.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Review: 'Birth of a Family'". Point of View. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Film Review: Birth of a Family - The Gateway". The Gateway. October 5, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Hot Docs 2017: Our Review of 'Birth Of A Family' - In The Seats". In The Seats. April 25, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  11. ↑ "The Edmonton International Film Festival (EIFF) Announces 2017 EIFF Jury & Audience Choice Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Edmonton International Film Festival. October 15, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  12. ↑ "The 17th Annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Announces Festival Award Winners". Native News Online. October 23, 2017. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
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