When All the Leaves Are Gone (2010)

Directed by

Alanis Obomsawin

Genre

drama

Country

Canada

Runtime

17 min

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In the 1940s, a young First Nations girl named Wato is the only Indigenous student at an all-white school where she faces prejudice. She finds solace in the magical world of her dreams.

gentledreamlikemelancholicnostalgicbittersweetintimatelyricalhopeful

What happens

When All the Leaves Are Gone is a Canadian short drama film, directed by Alanis Obomsawin and released in 2010. One of just two narrative fiction films, alongside Sigwan, that Obomsawin made in a career otherwise devoted entirely to documentary films, the film dramatizes Obomsawin's childhood experiences through the story of Wato (Rosalie Dumas), a young girl experiencing anti-indigenous prejudice as the only First Nations student in an otherwise all-white school in the 1940s, who finds comfort and strength in the magical world of her dreams. The cast also includes Daphnée Vincent, Justine Rolland, Marie-Josée Corneau, Margie Hoff, Yves Nolin Allaire and Jean-Claude Cloutier, with voice dubbing in the English version performed by Lynne Adams, Katie Patewabano, Jennifer Seguin and Jennifer Suleteanu. The film was also released in Wabanaki, Atikamekw, Innu and Inuktitut language versions. The film was screened at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, as part of its special Celebrating Alanis retrospective of Obomsawin's films. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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