Browse films

The Nature of Healing

Faith Howe
Canada, 2022, 81 min.

In English.
Includes violence.

AIFF Award Winner:
Special Jury Award for Bridging Cultures

The Nature of Healing is the frank and raw spoken truth of seven courageous people who survived the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s first and longest running Indian residential school. Featured are children of the Mohawk Institute, Grandfather Jimmie Edgar, who narrates with his poem, Grandmother’s Voice, Elder Bud Whiteye, Elder Blanche Hill-Easton, Elder John Elliott, Grandmother Roberta Hill, Grandmother Dawn Hill, Grandmother Sherlene Bomberry, and guest appearance, daughter of Survivor, Shelley Clark. Victims to survivors, to activists, the documentary is a story of resistance, resilience and healing told personally and for all the thousands of children who never could.

Director's Statement

I was truly honoured to sit as the camera rolled and bear witness to whatever was shared, including child abuse in all its forms. I shared my weeks with the people on my editing screens and fell deeply in love with each of them. Every single sentence holds significance. We bring The Nature of Healing, to audiences believing they too will have a profound experience with this truth. May we bravely face and repair the dehumanization that happened to the Indigenous People across Turtle Island. May they continue to graciously teach.

Category: Documentary, Award Winner.
Themes: Education, Indigenous, World Cinema.

More in Documentary

  • Desert Secrets

    Desert Secrets

    Mark Serao
    United States, 2025, 54 min.

    When Jamie Yazzie suddenly disappears, her family members are caught entirely by surprise. Always smiling and a reliable Indian Health... more ›

  • The Original Badass

    The Original Badass

    Simantini Chakraborty
    United States, 2024, 11 min.

    A group of award-winning filmmakers have created this powerfully-immersive and fast-paced short documentary, which spans numerous decades of American... more ›

  • Going Postal: The Legacy Foretold

    Going Postal: The Legacy Foretold

    Tad Sallee and Jason Sikorsky
    United States, 2025, 122 min.

    Uncensored and unapologetic, this Tucson produced, feature-length documentary delves into the 25-year saga of Postal, the infamous video game franchise by... more ›