Sugarcane

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Sugarcane

R

Released Aug 9, 2024

1h 47m

Documentary

History

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68 Reviews

80%

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100+ Ratings

A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life, SUGARCANE, the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning. In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves was discovered on the grounds of an Indian residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada. After years of silence, the forced separation, assimilation and abuse many children experienced at these segregated boarding schools was brought to light, sparking a national outcry against a system designed to destroy Indigenous communities. Set amidst a groundbreaking investigation, SUGARCANE illuminates the beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to persevere.

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Critics Consensus

Accumulating immense emotional power as it methodically uncovers a grave injustice, Sugarcane is one of the most compelling and important documentaries of the year.

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Dan Einav

Financial Times

Kassie and NoiseCat marry rigour with compassion, giving the survivors the platform to talk while understanding that some things are too hard to put into words.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 23, 2024

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

The damaged, rising community depicted in Sugarland are in no mood for apologies. They want accountability.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 28, 2024

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

It’s a remarkably courageous and exposed work, particularly for co-director Julian Brave NoiseCat and his father, Ed Archie NoiseCat, whose painful journey together in search of healing is the film’s spine.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 23, 2024

Full Review

Valerie Red-Horse Mohl

Christianity Today

The night after watching Sugarcane, I couldn’t sleep. I’d cringed, screamed, and wept through the movie, and now I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Aug 7, 2025

Full Review

Marissa Hill

Shade Studios

This is an emotional and heartbreaking film as the multiple stories over young lives lost and tortured surface.

Jul 29, 2025

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

It's a worthy subject but I wish the interviewing was better

Apr 7, 2025

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lynne c

Great storytelling of a too well hidden history. So impressed with the film makers and stars of the film- such courage and vulnerability

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/30/24

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Juan Aninao

This moving film educated us about a type of facility we never knew existed, and exposed the evil committed by the Catholic priests and nuns who ran these schools where Native American children who had been ripped away from their families and who had placed their trust in these new caretakers were horribly betrayed. It is a must-see film for anyone who cares about protecting not only childrens rights, but all human rights.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/23/24

Full Review

david m

What a powerful film and an untold story. So sad that the church and leaders of these Residential Schools continue to do what they did. And how sad that it has impacted the lives of these children, and then as they became adults, impacted their own children. When will the cycle stop? Such a powerful film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/18/24

Full Review

Fong Kok Hoong F

Reservedly disquieting and horrors speak volumes in muted confessions in this Oscar nominee for Best Documentary Feature that stirs up hushed storms of collective community grief and anguish as it visits survivors of St. Joseph's Mission, an Indian residential school responsible of exacting sexual violence on its juvenile charges and incinerating unwanted babies.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/09/25

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Eleanor W

Such a beautiful and compassionately crated piece of film making. Stays with you long after watching.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/13/25

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michael s

As a Canadian and a Christian, I was shocked at claims of genocide and mass graves when they were first made. Since then I am continually looking for the Truth. Not one body, not one charge by the RCMP, and shock-u-mentary like this one filled with lies. Just another get on the gravy train while it still exists. Canadians have a right to evidence based truths, not fictional story telling like this turned out to be after a couple hours of looking for the truth.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/13/25

Full Review

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Emily Kassie

Director

Julian Brave NoiseCat

Director

Julian Brave NoiseCat

Self

Emily Kassie

Producer

Kellen Quinn

Producer

Bill Way

Executive Producer

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Sugarcane: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life, SUGARCANE, the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning. In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves was discovered on the grounds of an Indian residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada. After years of silence, the forced separation, assimilation and abuse many children experienced at these segregated boarding schools was brought to light, sparking a national outcry against a system designed to destroy Indigenous communities. Set amidst a groundbreaking investigation, SUGARCANE illuminates the beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to persevere.

Director: Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat
Producer: Emily Kassie, Kellen Quinn
Distributor: National Geographic Documentary Films
Production Co: Kassie Films, Impact Partners, Fit Via Vi Film Productions, Hedgehog Films
Rating: R
Genre: Documentary, History
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 10, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $106.2K
Runtime: 1h 47m

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