Producer Miranda de Pencier (Beginners; The Seagull) takes on directorial duties with The Grizzlies, a film based on a true story about the transformative power that sport and camaraderie can have on a community. Russ Sheppard (Ben Schnetzer) is a young teacher who has just moved to Kugluktuk, Nunavut — a community that had one of the highest suicide rates in North America in 1998, when the film is set. When it comes to Russ’ attention that one of his students, Kyle (Booboo Stewart) is using the school storage bins to seek refuge from his abusive father, Russ decides to start an after-school lacrosse program in an attempt to offer his students a safe space. Although the school principal, Janace (Tantoo Cardinal), agrees to provide funding for the team, Miranda (Emerald MacDonald), another of Russ’ students, cautions him that no one will join his team unless he can convince a select group of boys to sign up. One of these boys is Adam (Ricky Marty-Pahtaykan), whose grandparents forbid him from attending school because of the ways in which institutions such as residential schools have destroyed the community and its people in the past. After making his case to each individual, Russ manages to draw a crowd of local kids to join the team. De Pencier focuses on different students throughout the film, drawing the audience into the complexities of their lives and examining the effects of intergenerational trauma. The Grizzlies shows us how sports teams can provide a safe environment for people to express the emotions that come with difficult circumstances.
Director Miranda de Pencier will be in attendance at the October 20, 2pm screening for a post screening Q&A.