We Were Children

We Were Children is a 2012 Canadian documentary film about the experiences of First Nations children in the Canadian Indian residential school system. Directed by Tim Wolochatiuk and written by Jason Sherman, the film recounts the experiences of two resident school survivors: Lyna Hart, who was sent to the Guy Hill Residential School in Manitoba at age four, and Glen Anaquod, who was sent to the Lebret Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan. "We Were Children" combines interviews with the two with dramatic recreations of their experiences.
According to Hart, her participation in the film marked the first time she had shared the full story of her time in the school. She has stated she regards her involvement in "We Were Children" as a key step in her healing process. Anaquod died in 2011 before the film's completion; a private screening of the film was held for his family. Lyna Hart died in 2015 after the release of the film.
Production.
The film was shot in Manitoba, in Winnipeg, St-Pierre-Jolys and at the former Portage residential school, now the Rufus Prince building, in Portage la Prairie. It was produced by Kyle Irving for Eagle Vision, Loren Mawhinney for eOne Television, and produced and executive produced by David Christensen for the National Film Board of Canada. The executive producer for the Eagle Vision was Lisa Meeches, whose parents and older siblings were sent to residential schools.
Meeches, who spent over seven years travelling across Canada to collect residential school survivors' stories for the Government of Canada, has stated that the idea for the film originated from a discussion she'd had at the Banff World Media Festival. It was Meeches who approached director Wolochatiuk with the project.
CBC Manitoba reporter Sheila North Wilson assisted the production by translating material in the script from English to Cree.
Release.
"We Were Children" premiered on October 2, 2012 at the Vancouver International Film Festival, followed by a screening at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto on October 18. It was broadcast on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in March 2013, followed by a DVD release from the National Film Board of Canada on April 12, 2013.