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.
Unfortunately the movie Where the Spirit Lives is not yet available on HBO Max.
Directing | Bruce Pittman | Director |
Writing | Keith Ross Leckie | Writer |
Sound | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Music |
Production | Heather Haldane | Producer |
Production | Eric Jordan | Producer |
Production | Scott Shepherd | Producer |
Production | Paul Stephens | Executive Producer |
Production | Mary Young Leckie | Producer |
Production | Arlene Berman | Casting |
Art | Valanne Ridgeway | Production Design |
Art | Tim Bider | Art Direction |
Art | Jane Manchee | Set Decoration |
Costume & Make-Up | Sylvie Krasker | Costume Design |
Costume & Make-Up | Nicole Demers | Makeup Artist |
Costume & Make-Up | Perry Kutsch | Hairstylist |
Production | Nancy Harvey | Production Manager |
Camera | Rene Ohashi | Director of Photography |
Editing | Michael Todd | Editor |