A desperate Cree mother (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers ) has hidden her daughter Waseese (Brooklyn Letexier-Hart) in the bush for six years. Society’s at war and children are being rounded up and sent to the Academy, a residential school where they are brainwashed and shaped into military and government assets. When their home is discovered by a military drone, Niska and Waneese must venture into the occupied city, where they witness the extent of its ruin. Niska is forced to make a painful decision and later takes steps to undo it with the help of vigilantes. The long history of residential schools in Canada is reflected in Night Raiders, a complex, emotional cautionary tale and an engaging thriller. What She Said’ Anne Brodie spoke with writer-director Danis Goulet and Tailfeathers.
Night Raiders is in theatres on Oct. 8 and opens this year’s hybrid imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival on Oct. 19.