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Where the Spirit Lives

PG
Drama
6/10(4 ratings)

In 1937, a young First Nations (Canadian native) girl named Ashtecome is kidnapped along with several other children from a village as part of a deliberate Canadian policy to force First Nations children to abandon their culture in order to be assimilated into white Canadian/British society. She is taken to a boarding school where she is forced to adopt Western Euro-centric ways and learn English, often under brutal treatment. Only one sympathetic white teacher who is more and more repelled by this bigotry offers her any help from among the staff. That, with her force of will, Ashtecome (forced to take the name Amelia) is determined to hold on to her identity and that of her siblings, who were also abducted.

06-06-1990
1h 36m
Where the Spirit Lives

Main Cast

Michelle St. John

Michelle St. John

Michelle St. John is a Canadian actress, singer, producer and director and a member of the Wampanoag Nation in the northeastern United States. She has been involved in creative projects in theatre, film, television and music since the 1980s. Her directorial debut, Colonization Road, is a 2016 feature-length documentary that premiered at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

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Ann-Marie MacDonald

Ann-Marie MacDonald

Ann-Marie MacDonald (born October 29, 1958) is a Canadian playwright, novelist, actor, and broadcast journalist who lives in Toronto, Ontario. The daughter of a member of Canada's military, she was born at an air force base near Baden-Baden, West Germany. She won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for her first novel, Fall on Your Knees, which was also named to Oprah Winfrey's Book Club. Her 2003 novel, The Way the Crow Flies, was partly inspired by the Steven Truscott case. She received the Governor General's Award for Literary Merit, the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award and the Canadian Author's Association Award for her play, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet). She appeared in the films I've Heard the Mermaids Singing, and Better Than Chocolate, among others. She also hosted the CBC Documentary series Life and Times (1996-2007). Description above from the Wikipedia article Ann-Marie MacDonald, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Graham Greene

Graham Greene

Graham Greene (born June 22, 1952) is an Indigenous Canadian actor who has built a distinguished career in film, television, and theatre. Known for his versatility and impactful performances, Greene has appeared in numerous acclaimed productions, including The Green Mile (1999), Wind River (2017) and Dances with Wolves (1990). He earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Dances with Wolves. Throughout his career, Greene has been celebrated for his contributions to the entertainment industry and remains a respected figure in the acting world. He has been married to Hilary Blackmore since December 20, 1990.

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David Hemblen

David Hemblen

David Hemblen was an English actor who frequently worked in Canadian film, television and theatre. He was born in London, England, on September 16, 1941. He grew up in Toronto, Ontario, where he pursued a classical education before turning to theatre. He received an M.A. in English and was working towards a Ph.D. in medieval studies when he was spotted during a rehearsal of a university production by Clifford Williams of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Hemblen was offered a season at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre. Hemblen's career in theatre included many productions at the Stratford Festival and four seasons at the renowned Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. He received a Dora Award nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Dr. Astrov in Toronto's Tarragon Theatre production of Uncle Vanya. He also received a Genie Award nomination as Best Actor in Family Viewing. Hemblen's television career began in the early 1970s, and he appeared in a number of Canadian television series, including The Beachcombers, Night Heat, and Street Legal. He also had recurring roles in the American series T. and T. and The X-Files. Hemblen's most famous role was as Johnathan Doors in the science fiction series Earth: Final Conflict. He played the role from 1994 to 2002, and his performance was critically acclaimed. He also voiced the character of Magneto in the X-Men animated series from 1992 to 1997. Hemblen died on November 16, 2020, in Toronto, Ontario, at the age of 79. He was survived by his wife, actress Kate Nelligan, and their two daughters.

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Movie Details

Production Info

Director:
Bruce Pittman
Writer:
Keith Ross Leckie
Production:
Atlantis Films, CBC, Amazing Spirit Productions Ltd.

Key Crew

Music:
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Producer:
Eric Jordan
Executive Producer:
Paul Stephens
Producer:
Mary Young Leckie

Locations and Languages

Country:
US
Languages:
en