In Jesus' Name: Shattering the Silence of St. Anne's Residential School

13 April 2017

Dear Programming Panellists:

Thank you for taking the time to review the submission for the documentary film, In Jesus’ Name:Shattering the Silence of St. Anne's Residential School. I self-identify as a human rights advocate and Edmund Metatawabin identifies as Mushkegowuk Cree from Fort Albany First Nation. Edmund is a survivor of St. Anne's Residential School, advocate for the survivors in the Ontario Superior Court, a former Chief of Fort Albany, and author of the highly acclaimed book, "Up Ghost River: A Chief's Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History." Our shoot locations include Fort Albany First Nation (northern Ontario), Ottawa and Toronto.

Although Edmund Metatawabin and I are first time filmmakers, we believe in the power of documentary to reveal important issues that may otherwise remain hidden from public knowledge and purview. In this case, we both acknowledge how—despite the great works of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission—the depth, breadth and gravity of child physical and sexual abuse at St. Anne’s Residential School remains almost entirely hidden from mainstream media. For example, we firmly believe that use of an electric chair on indigenous children at St. Anne’s should have been front-page news, with sustained media coverage. Instead this topic has fallen into the abyss of important stories that see little light of day. We both believe that by getting the word out to wider publics in a very powerful manner, we can help to evoke change: to our historical narrative, in education, in perceptions of indigenous people in Canada, and in both the public and political arenas. We uphold that the best way to inform publics so as to expand knowledge that will lead to empathy and positive change is through documentary film so long as those who have experienced residential school traumas are speaking with their own voices. Thus it was a conscious choice to ensure there would be no appropriation of indigenous voices or identities in In Jesus’ Name.

We have spent much time with this film, with the survivors within this film, and with survivors of other residential schools. We have gone the extra mile with research, with social media communications, and with advocacy. What we didn’t know how to do, we learned. When we didn’t have the funds, we moved forward anyhow choosing the survivors over our own quality of life. Most importantly, however, is our belief that the time to launch this film is now during, or close to, Canada’s 150 Celebrations (of colonialism). There must be a very powerful counter-narrative to the back-slapping congratulatory nationalism of what a fine country this is. As the film also exposes, survivors of St. Anne’s, a community of people from the far North who endured so much pain and horror from the time that they were just small children, are currently being re-traumatized in the courts due to the Canadian government hiding tens-of-thousands of pages of evidence of horrific abuses from the survivors and their legal counsel (that is our next film!). So yes, the time is right for In Jesus’ Name to be screened by film festivals.

As an added incentive, many of the survivors would be available for Question and Answer periods should their travel and accommodations be provided for. On a final note, DCP mastering of the film with 5.1 surround sound is available.

Again, thank you so much, Miigwetch, for taking the time to review our submission. We sincerely hope that your film festival will permit us to screen this film in the coming months.

Sincerely,
Susan G. Enberg
Director-Producer-Editor