Special Episode: Jules Koostachin on truth, reconciliation, and intergenerational healing

In honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30), we’re releasing this special interview with filmmaker Jules Koostachin about her family’s journey to heal from the intergenerational trauma caused by residential schools. It’s a journey she explores in her new documentary feature, WaaPaKe (Tomorrow). For generations, the suffering of residential school Survivors has radiated outward, impacting Indigenous families and communities. In her efforts to help the children of Survivors, including herself and her family, Jules makes the difficult decision to step in front of the camera and participate in a circle of truth. She is joined in this courageous act of solidarity by members of her immediate family – including her mother Rita and one of her sons, Asivak – as well as an array of voices from Indigenous communities across Turtle Island. Moving beyond burying intergenerational trauma, WaaPaKe (Tomorrow) – which screens on October 1st and 4th at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival – is an invitation to unravel the tangled threads of silence, unite in collective freedom and power, and explore what intergenerational healing looks and feels like. Says Jules: “Who am I without that trauma?” Episode sponsors: Biz Books and The Drama Class