101. Julian Brave NoiseCat - Surviving the Night

On this episode, we get to meet Julian Brave NoiseCat. Julian is a filmmaker, documentarian, and writer, who just put out his first book, called We Survived the Night. Part memoir, part cultural ethnography, the book traces through Julian's own story - including the stories of his parents and family - and weaves in elements of Indigenous stories and mythologies of the communities he is a part of: the Canim Lake Band Tsq'secen of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) in British Columbia. Last year, Julian also received an Oscar nomination for his first documentary film, Sugarcane, which he co-directed with Emily Kassie, which made him the first North American Indigenous filmmaker to be nominated at the Academy Awards. The film studies the impact of the Canadian Indian Residential School System, and the lingering effects and ongoing trauma of the experiences children had there - including some members of his own family. It's a serious conversation, and a very serious topic - but a vital one. I was very grateful to Julian for taking the time to have a deep conversation about this deep subject. Thanks for listening.