Toronto International Film Festival Movies in Fort Erie

​Our first feature is Café Daughter, on Monday, September 30th, Orange Shirt Day. We invite you to wear orange to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

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​Café Daughter tells the story of a nine-year-old half-Chinese half-Cree girl, Yvette Wong. On top of struggling to find her place in a small Saskatchewan community in the 1960s, she is also faced with the passing of her mother, who always told her children not to let anyone know they were Native Indian, as she believed they would have a better life if this information was kept hidden.

 

Yvette confronts racism on the prairies in the classroom, with teachers and fellow students letting her know she is different from them. Despite wanting to be a doctor, her teacher states that girls can't be doctors and that maybe she would be better suited as a nurse. Yvette begins to explore and embrace her Cree identity when she befriends Maggie Wolf, a part Mi'kmaq girl who encourages Yvette to be proud of her ancestry. When her Cree ancestry is revealed at school, Yvette confronts discrimination but perseveres to pursue her dream of going to medical school.

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"Café Daughter” is a story of inspiration, ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​based on the true story of Senator Yvette Wong.

​Retired senator Lillian Dyck, the inspiration for the new film Café Daughter

Cree playwright Kenneth T. Williams describes Lillian Dyck as a gentle warrior.​

The retired senator, neuroscientist and champion of Indigenous women was the inspiration for a coming-of-age story which was recently adapted into the feature film, Café Daughter.​

"She's someone who fights for others," Williams said of Dyck.​

"She's an amazing person and I knew this was a story that had to be told."

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Link to CBC article about Lillian Dyck

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CBC Podcast

​​For further information, you may want to listen to the "Unreserved" podcast with Lillian Dyck.

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Link to CBC Podcast​