In a collaboration with the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, the Arkansas Cinema Society, and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the documentary film “Sugarcane” will screen on May 22, in Little Rock.
The Arkansas Cinema Society (ACS), the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (HSDFF), and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) will host a very special screening of Sugarcane, a documentary about how the investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
The screening is in collaboration with the Modern Native Art exhibit taking place at the AMFA closing May 26, 2024. The screening will be held on May 22, 2024, in the Performing Arts Theater at AMFA. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the show starts at 6:30 PM. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children/seniors and tickets can be purchased there.
ACS Executive Director Kathryn Tucker believes Sugarcane is an important film to be showcased. “ACS loves collaborative events like this one that bring different film + art-loving communities together. We wanted to partner with AMFA to help shine a light on their beautiful Native Art exhibit ending this month. HSDFF brought this impactful film to our attention and it felt like a perfect fit,” Tucker said.
“The stories of atrocities perpetrated upon Indigenous communities are tragic and sadly abundant. Films like Sugarcane unveil hard truths and can allow communities to start hard conversations to hopefully spark change through better awareness.”
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Executive Director Ken Jacobson said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Arkansas Cinema Society and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts on this special screening of Sugarcane in association with the museum’s illuminating exhibit on Modern Native Art.” Jacobson said: “Like the exhibit itself, Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie’s extraordinary new documentary demonstrates the power of imagery and narrative to reflect on critical issues of contemporary Native identity, place, history, culture, and resistance. We are extremely thankful to our partners, as well as to the film’s distributor, National Geographic Documentary Films, and the filmmakers themselves for their collaboration in putting together such a timely and impactful event.”
Sugarcane Synopsis:
A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life – Sugarcane, the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie – is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning. Set amidst a ground-breaking investigation into abuse and death at an Indian residential school, the film empowers participants to break cycles of intergenerational trauma by bearing witness to painful, long-ignored truths – and the love that endures within their families despite the revelation of genocide.
In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves near an Indian residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada sparked a national outcry about the forced separation, assimilation, and abuse many children experienced at this network of segregated boarding schools designed to slowly destroy the culture and social fabric of Indigenous communities.
When Kassie — a journalist and filmmaker — asked her old friend and colleague, NoiseCat, to direct a film documenting the Williams Lake First Nation investigation of St Joseph’s Mission, she never imagined just how close this story was to his own family. As the investigation continued, Emily and Julian traveled back to the rivers, forests, and mountains of his homelands to hear the stories of survivors.
During production, Julian’s own story became an integral part of this beautiful multi-stranded portrait of a community. By offering space, time, and profound empathy the directors unearthed what was hidden. Kassie and NoiseCat encountered both the extraordinary pain these individuals had to suppress as a tool for survival and the unique beauty of a group of people finding the strength to persevere.
About the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Each year, with the help of a small staff and over 100 dedicated volunteers, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival attracts thousands of visitors to this extraordinary 9-day event in scenic Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. Now approaching its 33rd year as the longest-running documentary film festival in North America, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival remains a prominent champion of the documentary film genre. The 2024 edition of the festival takes place on October 18-26. Find more information about HSDFF at www.hsdfi.org.
About the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
Founded in 1937, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is the largest cultural institution of its kind in the state, offering a unique blend of visual, educational, and performing arts experiences. AMFA is committed to featuring diverse media and artistic perspectives within its permanent collection as well as through rotating temporary exhibitions. AMFA’s international collection spans eight centuries, with strengths in works on paper, and includes notable holdings from the United States and Europe.
With a vibrant mix of ideas, cultures, people, and places, the museum extends its commitment to artistic diversity through the innovative Windgate Art School, a dynamic children’s theatre and performing arts program, and community-focused educational programs for all ages. Located in Little Rock’s oldest urban green space, MacArthur Park, AMFA’s landmark building and grounds are designed by Studio Gang and SCAPE, in collaboration with Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects. Visit www.arkmfa.org.
About Arkansas Cinema Society
Arkansas Cinema Society (ACS) is a non-profit committed to building a film community in Arkansas where film lovers can watch films, share ideas, connect with each other, and nurture the new and existing film talent within our state through increased exposure to filmmakers and their art. Memberships are available to the public at large who may wish to dive into educational videos, member-only discounts, and more. Those interested in supporting ACS can visit their website at www.arkansascinemasociety.org.
