Foster Child

Foster Child

| 43 min
Free
streaming

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An important figure in the history of Canadian Indigenous filmmaking, Gil Cardinal was born to a Métis mother but raised by a non-Indigenous foster family, and with this auto-biographical documentary he charts his efforts to find his biological mother and to understand why he was removed from her. Considered a milestone in documentary cinema, it addressed the country’s internal colonialism in a profoundly personal manner, winning a Special Jury Prize at Banff and multiple international awards. “Foster Child is one of the great docs to come out of Canada, and nobody but Gil could have made it,” says Jesse Wente, director of Canada’s Indigenous Screen Office. “Gil made it possible for us to think about putting our own stories on the screen, and that was something new and important.”

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Foster Child, Gil Cardinal, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

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Credits
  • director
    Gil Cardinal
  • producer
    Jerry Krepakevich
  • executive producer
    Tom Radford
    Graydon McCrea
  • cinematography
    James Jeffrey
  • sound
    Alan Bibby
  • editing
    Alan Bibby
  • sound editing
    Gerald K. Wilson
  • re-recording
    Barry P. Jones

  • None

    This film made me cry for all children separated from family. Beautifully and sensitively done. Thank you.

    None, 28 Jun 2019
  • Kish

    Why can't I view any films that was downloaded in my playlist? Do I have to buy these first?

    Kish, 15 Jan 2013
  • yuallthetime

    I kept rooting for Gil to not be afraid to go forward. Thinking about how old he would be now. Did this search make him a better husband and father and possibly grandfather? How did this change his life? Was he more grounded? Did he feel safe to share who he really was inside and love deeper with the joy of a connecting bond? Did Gil keep in contact with his found relatives? So many questions that only another documentary could answer. Thank you for sharing this intimate path of discovery Gil.

    yuallthetime, 23 Jan 2010

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