Dociville

Documentary "Sugarcane" and debate at DOCVILLE

A special screening & debate during the DOCVILLE International Documentary Film Festival
Part of our REstART initiatives on arts and restorative justice

Cinema Kinepolis Leuven, 1st of April 2025 at 20:00-22:30

Hosted by the DOCVILLE International Documentary Film Festival, we are truly honoured to invite you to a special screening of Sugarcane, followed by a thought-provoking debate organised with the support of Leuven Restorative City. The event is part of our REstART initiatives, which explore the intersection of arts and restorative justice.

A brief overview of the movie:

Nominated for Best Documentary at the 2025 Academy Awards, Sugarcane is a groundbreaking investigation into an Indian residential school, exposing years of forced separation, assimilation, and abuse.

The debate organised after the screening will focus on the potential of restorative justice in cases of historical institutional abuses, with real life experiences from Belgium. 

Date

Start

Address

Kinepolis Leuven
Bondgenotenlaan 145/149
3000 Leuven
Belgium

Details

This event is part of the REstART initiatives, dedicated to arts and restorative justice.

Get your tickets and find more information here. The EFRJ offers 5 free tickets for those for whom it is financially difficult to attend (see info below).

The documentary & trailer

In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves near an Indian boarding school run by the Catholic Church in Canada sparked a national outcry. Many children experienced forced separation, assimilation and abuse at this network of segregated boarding schools, which were designed to slowly destroy the culture and social fabric of Indigenous communities. When journalist Kassie asked her old friend and colleague NoiseCat to direct the film, she could never have imagined how close this story was to his own family. 

Film Director: Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat (Canada, United States, 2024/107 min.)

 

The debate

The panel discussion after the screening will be moderated by EFRJ Policy Officer Laura Hein, coordinator of the EFRJ Working Groups on institutional abuse and on transitional justice. 

Our guest speakers are:

  • Em. Prof. Ivo Aertsen - talking about his experience in the Centre for Arbitration (2012-2016) for the historical abuses in the Catholic Church.
  • Senior practitioner Bie Vanseveren - sharing her practice experience as mediator and chair in the Commission for Recognition and Mediation for Victims of Historical Abuse in Flanders.
  • Prof. Stephan Parmentier - reflecting about gross human rights violations, transitional justice, historical harm and collective memory.

Practicalities

The screening is hosted by Kinepolis Cinema in Leuven on 1 April at 20:00.

The film is screened in English, French and Aboriginal, with subtitles in English.

The EFRJ offers up to 5 free tickets for those for whom it is financially difficult to attend. Write an email to emanuela.biffi@euforumrj.org to be included in the EFRJ guest list (first come- first served basis; priority given to EFRJ members and young students).

Find here more information and tickets. 

Photo credits: Docville photo on social media