THE CANADIAN SCREEN ACTORS AWARDS: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers Wins Best Performance by an Actress

Written and directed by Danis Goulet, who is Cree Métis from northern
Saskatchewan, Night Raiders is a film about harm, abuse, violence, and/or
intergenerational trauma due to colonial practices. It is one of the most
important Canadian films made in recent times. A searing thriller set in the
near future; it digs deep into Canada’s painful past to craft a compelling,
propulsive piece of genre cinema.

After a destructive war across North America, a military occupation seizes
control of society. One of their core tactics: taking children from their
families and putting them into State Academies or forced-education camps.
Niska (played by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) is a Cree mother desperate to
protect her daughter Waseese (played by Brooklyn Letexier-Hart). But events
force mother and daughter to separate, leading Niska to join a group of Cree
vigilantes to get her daughter back.

This story echoes the real forced assimilation of Indigenous children that
colonizing powers undertook in Canada, the US, Australia, and beyond. It
transforms the ugly reality of residential schools into remarkable,
cinematic piece. Goulet’s vision, combined with powerful performances from
Tailfeathers, Letexier-Hart, and Gail Maurice, bring this speculative future
into dialogue with our past. Night Raiders is not just a singular Canadian
film, but a new view of Canada for the entire world.

Janette’s TV & Podcast were among Canada’s top accredited media at The
Canadian Screen Actors Awards virtual red carpet press room interviewing the
event’s big winners. In this second episode of our special CSA series,
Janette talks with actress Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, who took home the award
for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in
this movie, about what this role meant to her and the Indigenous community,
and what she would like to see happen next for Indigenous actors, writers,
directors, and producers.

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