MEADOWLARKS
Based in part on her 2017 film BIRTH OF A FAMILY, Tasha Hubbard brings her scripted narrative debut to TIFF 50. MEADOWLARKS stars Michael Greyeyes, Carmen Moore, Alex Rice, and Michelle Thrush as four Cree siblings who were separated by the Sixties Scoop, who are meeting for the first time as adults.Human complexity, set against a stunning backdrop, never overshadows the tragedy in their collective truth. Hubbard dives headfirst into the Scoop’s hideous history, but never shoves our faces in it. Her approach is gentle. For any viewer who somehow has zero knowledge, you’re about to learn the hard way. You will feel compelled to go down a Google search rabbit hole.
Performances are fantastic. Each character is incredibly nuanced. Four siblings with varying goals for the trip and vastly different personalities. But what links them is far deeper than the ways in which they were raised by white families.Each sibling chooses connection in small ways. Hubbard taps into the unconscious need for space when emotionally overstimulated, and it is awe-inspiring. MEADOWLARKS is an experiment in empathy and grief through shared trauma. The quiet compassion will undoubtedly take you on a journey through sadness and hope.
Director:
Tasha Hubbard is a Cree filmmaker from Peepeekisis Cree Nation, Saskatchewan. She is a director and writer, known for Two Worlds Colliding (04), nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up (19), and Singing Back the Buffalo (24). Meadowlarks (25) is her feature debut.
Cast
Michael Greyeyes
Carmen Moore
Alex Rice
Michelle Thrush
Cinematography
James Klopko
Editing
Simone Smith
Executive Producer
Betty Ann Adam
Producers
Tyler Hagan
Julia Rosenberg
Production Companies
Experimental Forest Films
January Media
Production Designer
Louisa Birkin
Costume Designer
Carmen Thompson
Screenplay
Tasha Hubbard
Emil Sher
Sound
Coby DeGroot
Original Score
Todor Kobakov
Publicist
Star PR
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media
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DROWNING DRY
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EGGHEAD & TWINKIE
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UnBroken
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