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Waseskun

2016 1 h 21 min
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Therapy, the Indigenous way

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Waseskun

Details

Filmed in cinéma vérité style, this feature-length doc follows a group of incarcerated men with troubled pasts as they undergo treatment based on Indigenous philosophy at the Waseskun Healing Center. Director Steve Patry spent a full year with these men, gaining their trust and confidence. The result is a remarkable and gripping film about learning to overcome suffering and finding balance.
Law and Crime Indigenous Peoples in Canada (First Nations and Métis) All subjects
Hot Topics All channels
  • producer
    Nathalie Cloutier
    Denis McCready
  • researcher
    Steve Patry
  • writer
    Steve Patry
  • director
    Steve Patry
  • camera
    Steve Patry
  • editing
    Nathalie Lamoureux
  • location sound
    Nicolas Goyette
  • sound design
    Simon Gervais
  • assistant editor
    Joëlle Arseneau
  • technical coordinator - shooting equipment
    Steve Hallé
  • technical support - editing
    Pierre Dupont
    Isabelle Painchaud
    Patrick Trahan
  • interview transcription
    Sassonique Productions
  • translation
    Beesum Communications
    Natasha Kanapé Fontaine
    MELS
  • subtitles
    Beesum Communications
    Natasha Kachan
    MELS
  • titles
    Cynthia Ouellet
  • online editor
    Yannick Carrier
  • foley
    Lise Wedlock
  • foley recording
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • re-recording
    Serge Boivin
  • music
    Serge Nakauchi Pelletier
  • marketing manager
    François Jacques
  • marketing manager - assistance
    Jolène Lessard
  • administrator
    Sia Koukoulas
  • production coordinator
    Chinda Phommarinh
    Isabelle Limoges
    Gabrielle Dupont
    Hélène Regimbal
  • administrative assistant
    Pascale Savoie-Brideau
    Larissa Christoforo
  • technical coordinator
    Mira Mailhot
  • associate producer
    Mélanie Lasnier
  • executive producer
    Colette Loumède

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Education

Ages 17 to 18
School subjects
Health/Personal Development - Mental Health/Stress/Suicide Health/Personal Development - Substance Use and Abuse/Addiction Indigenous Studies - Identity/Society Social Studies - Law Social Studies - Social Policies and Programs

Warnings: M (discussions of violence, sexual abuse, some foul language ‘prick’). Ideal for classroom discussions, research and essays about intergenerational trauma, criminal justice, and Indigenous restorative justice. Consider the narratives of childhood experiences shared in the film and discuss how childhood trauma can shape the fate of an adult if nurturing, healing and support are not in place. Research the contexts that influence the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system. What is restorative justice and how is it being used within the legal system today? Can preventative social structures supported by government and community initiatives help reshape the criminal justice system? How can reconnecting with original cultural ways of being help in healing those who suffer from trauma and intergenerational trauma?

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