FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Montreal, July 31st, 2018 – Produced by Nish Media, filming on Sonia Bonspille Boileau’s second feature, Rustic Oracle, has begun in the communities of Oka and Kanesatake. The dramatic feature film, shot in English and due out in the fall of 2019, will raise awareness about the cause of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Rustic Oracle tells the story of an 8-year-old girl, Ivy, who tries to find out what happened to her missing sister, Heather. It also shares a story experienced by countless Indigenous families who have faced the trauma caused by the disappearance of a loved one. A French version of the film, entitled Vivace, will also be available in the fall of 2019. The film will be distributed by MAISON 4:3.

Inclusion, diversity and gender values are at the center of Bonspille Boileau’s production as the project brings together a panoply of artists and professionals from Indigenous communities.

Rustic Oracle showcases the work of many talented Indigenous performers including newcomer, Lake Delisle who will play the lead role of the young Ivy; Canadian actress Carmen Moore, best known for her roles in the series Blackstone, Arctic Air, and her role in the feature film Unnatural and Accidental, will play Susan, Ivy and Heather’s mother; Margo Kane tackles the role of Iris, Susan’s mother; and Heather will be played by McKenzie Deer Robinson. Actor Kevin Parent, a staple in Quebec’s artistic community, is also part of the cast, along with Alex Rice, Maxime Gibeault, Richard Jutras and Emmanuel Auger.  In addition to the Indigenous women and girls featured in the cast of the film, the creative and technical team, and the film’s partners have strong female and Indigenous representation. At least one Indigenous representative finds herself in each of the main production departments.

“I look forward to working in my community and giving back the same kind of mentorship and support to others that I’ve received through my career,” says Bonspille Boileau.

“Many of our team come from the Kanesatake community,” says producer Jason Brennan, “This reflects our passion for creating realistic stories that address issues that involve Indigenous communities, but that allow us all to identify, thus weaving links between and with audiences regardless of their origin and gender.”

About Rustic Oracle
This dramatic feature film takes us to the late 1990s.  Ivy, an 8-year-old girl tries to figure out what happened to her missing older sister, who has disappeared from their small Mohawk community. With very few clues to cling to, Ivy and her mother Susan embark on a painful journey to find Heather. This quest eventually brings the two closer despite the difficult circumstances, and strengthens their relationship. Behind this story of despair told through the eyes of a child, there is room for hope, growth, awakening and love.

The interest of funders such as Telefilm Canada, SODEC, CBC’s Breaking Barriers Feature Film Fund, and the Women In the Director’s Chair WIDC Feature Film Award, which includes an investment from the Harold Greenberg Fund and a package of in kind services and rentals for production and post-production from companies like Post Moderne and Walters Lighting and Grip, demonstrates that Sonia Bonspille Boileau’s film is eagerly awaited and that the film has been embraced by the community. WIDC’s Carol Whiteman executive produces, and Chantal Pagé and the MAISON 4:3 team will be responsible for Canadian distribution.

About Sonia Bonspille Boileau
Writer, director Sonia Bonspille Boileau is a bilingual Mohawk filmmaker with over a decade of experience developing and producing television projects in English and French ranging from children’s programming to socially driven documentaries. She is the winner of the PRIX DE LA DIVERSITÉ at the Gala des Prix Gémeaux for her documentary Last Call Indian. Her debut feature film, Le Dep, premiered at the prestigious Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, has won awards and made the official selection of festivals around the world. Her feature documentary about the impacts of the 1990 Oka Crisis called The Oka Legacy earned a Golden Sheaf Award at the 2016 Yorkton Film Festival. Sonia is also the 2016 recipient of the APTN Award of Distinction given during the Montreal’s First Peoples Festival. She received the WIDC Feature Film Award for her sophomore feature film, Rustic Oracle, developed in part through WIDC Story & Leadership.

About Nish Media
Based in western Quebec, Nish Media is an award-winning production company with over ten years of experience. From television to new media to feature films, Nish is committed to giving filmmakers a voice and empowering them to create compelling content across multiple platforms. Working in both of Canada’s official languages and rooted in Indigenous culture, Nish Media offers a high degree of versatility, which makes it possible for the principles to tell the stories they want to tell differently. Nish Media produces movies and television content designed for and sold in Canadian and international markets.

About Maison 4:3
MAISON 4:3, formerly L’Atelier de Distribution des Films, is a film distribution company founded in 2015 by Chantale Pagé. Distributor-Boutique, the company provides all its know-how at the service of the creators and their films, to set up launching strategies and to accompany the works at every stage of the process. Distributor of the documentaries Tomorrow, In Quest of Sense, Eroticism and Old Age, as well as The Earth View of the Heart with Hubert Reeves, and fiction films such as 9 the Film, My Friend Dino, The False Tattoo, MAISON 4:3 represents projects that are human, touching and atypical.

About WIDC Feature Film Award
This edition of the WIDC Feature Film Award is valued at nearly $200K and is supported by Bell Media’s Harold Greenberg Fund. This national Award is also supported by some of Canada’s most influential screen industry companies including Poste Moderne, Panavision Canada, SIM, Keslow Camera, William F. White International, Walter’s Lighting and Grip, MELS Studios, Encore Vancouver, Technicolor Toronto, Skylab Vancouver, White Hart Post Productions, North Shore Studios, The Bridge Studios, Vancouver Film Studios, The Research House Clearance Services Inc., Descriptive Video Works, Front Row Insurance, National Captioning Canada.

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