We Were Children (2012)

Plot Summary

For over 130 years till 1996, more than 100,000 of Canada's First Nations children were legally required to attend government-funded schools run by various Christian faiths. There were 80 of these 'residential schools' across the country. Most children were sent to faraway schools that separated them from their families and traditional land. These children endured brutality, physical hardship, mental degradation, and the complete erasure of their culture. The schools were part of a wider program of assimilation designed to integrate the native population into 'Canadian society.' These schools were established with the express purpose 'To kill the Indian in the child.' Told through their own voices, 'We Were Children' is the shocking true story of two such children: Glen Anaquod and Lyna Hart.

Full Cast & Characters

Lyna Hart

Self

Ross McMillan

Father Y

Glen Anaquod

Self

Alicia Hamelin

Lyna (4 Yrs Old)

Jade Hamelin

Lyna (10 Yrs Old)

Jennie Morin

Lyna (18 Yrs Old)

Rebecca Gibson

Sister Mary

Rene Batson

Glen (6-7 Yrs Old)

Brun Montour

Glen (12 Yrs Old)

Justin Ducharme

Glen (18 Yrs Old)

Justin Courchene

Glen (Adult)

Tyrone Brooks

Glen's Cousin (6-7 Yrs Old)

Director & Crew

Official Trailer

Where to Watch We Were Children Online

Movies Similar to We Were Children

TMDB 7.7

Cree Hunters of Mistassini

1974

TMDB NR

Amazônia, a Nova Minamata?

2022

TMDB NR

Stories Are in Our Bones

2020

TMDB 7.0

Trump's America: Power, Change, Resistance

2026

TMDB 10.0

The Little Church That Could

2022

TMDB NR

The Eyes of Children

1962

Frequently Asked Questions