In 1972, five young film students made a documentary about the Sayisi Dene, an indigenous band in Northern Manitoba that had been forcibly relocated from their ancestral home. 31 years later, three of the original students, now seasoned filmmakers, revisit the Sayisi Dene as they continue to struggle to put their tragic past behind them. The film explores the band’s efforts to keep their values and traditions in balance with the realities of the 21st century.
Almost Home: A Sayisi Dene Journey aired on CBC Nature of Things, APTN, Knowledge Network and SCN.
REVIEWS
“Almost Home is one of those deceptively simple documentaries that quickly goes to the heart of an issue and explains much about the current problems of Canada’s aboriginal peoples … compulsively watchable and stocked with characters whose strengths leap out at you.” – Jim Bawden, StarWeek
“I would highly recommend this film to First Nations’ schools, Aboriginal Studies Programs, to First Nations Peoples and indigenous peoples who have struggled with the effect of relocation and mass assimilation. This film accurately tells the Sayisi Dene story, and in the end offers hope.” – Phil Fontaine, National Chief, Assembly of First Nations
AWARDS
Best Social/Political Documentary and winner of the Kathleen Shannon Award at the 2004 Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival.
CREDITS
Produced and Directed by
MICHAEL FULLER
ROBERT LANG
SHEILA PETZOLD
Writers
ROBERT LANG
SHEILA PETZOLD
Editor
MICHAEL FULLER
Directors of Photography
IAN KERR
RICHARD STRINGER
Production Manager
RICHARD JEZ
Executive Producer
ROBERT LANG
Produced by Kensington Communications Inc. in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and with the Aboriginal People’s Television Network, Knowledge Network and SCN. With the participation of Telefilm Canada and the License Fee Program of the Canadian Television Fund and the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund.