We Were Children 2012

Overview

We Were Children is a 2012 Canadian documentary film directed by Tim Wolochatiuk and written by Jason Sherman. The documentary focuses on the experiences of First Nations children within the Canadian Indian residential school system. For more than 130 years until 1996, over 100,000 of Canada's First Nations children were legally required to attend government-funded residential schools operated by various Christian faiths. There were 80 of these schools across the country. Most children were sent to distant schools that separated them from their families and traditional land. While attending these institutions, the children endured brutality, physical hardship, mental degradation, and the complete erasure of their culture. These schools operated as part of a broader program of assimilation intended to integrate the native population into Canadian society.