Where the Spirit Lives 33 years old
A moving tribute to a young girl's courage and indomitable spirit...
In 1937, a young First Nations (Canadian native) girl named Ashtecome is kidnapped along with several other children from a village as part of a deliberate Canadian policy to force First Nations children to abandon their culture in order to be assimilated into white Canadian/British society. She is taken to a boarding school where she is forced to adopt Western Euro-centric ways and learn English, often under brutal treatment. Only one sympathetic white teacher who is more and more repelled by this bigotry offers her any help from among the staff. That, with her force of will, Ashtecome (forced to take the name Amelia) is determined to hold on to her identity and that of her siblings, who were also abducted.
Credits
Where the Spirit Lives Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Graham Greene He was 85, 86 years old when he died | as Komi's Father |
| David Hemblen He was 9, now 24 years old | as Reverend Buckley |
| Chapelle Jaffe | as Miss Appleby |
| Ron White He was 33, now 67 years old | as Taggart |
| Sean Mulcahy | as Priest |
| Heather Hess | as Rachel |
| Doris Petrie She was 72, 82 years old when she died | as Miss Weir |
| Sam Malkin | as Mr. Crawford |
| Ann-Marie MacDonald She was 31, now 65 years old | as Kathleen |
| Michelle St. John | as Komi / Amelia |
| Sarah Williams She was 30, 92 years old when she died | as Ruth |
| Tina Louise Bomberry She was 24, 52 years old when she died | as Asst. Supervisor #2 |
| Barbara Wheeldon | as Matron |
| Marianne Jones | as Komi's Mother |
| John Friesen He was 39, now 73 years old | as Mr. Babcock |
| Patricia Collins She was 38, now 72 years old | as Mrs. Barrington |
Where the Spirit Lives Crew
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Rene O'Hashi as Director of Photography. | Camera |
| Scott Shepherd as Producer. He was 37 (now 71) years old | Production |
| Bruce Pittman as Director. He was 40 (now 74) years old | Directing |
| Arlene Berman as Casting. | Production |
| Keith Ross Leckie as Writer. | Writing |
| Eric Jordan as Producer. | Production |
| Paul Stephens as Executive Producer. He was 3 (now 37) years old | Production |
| Buffy Sainte-Marie as Music. She was 49 (now 83) years old | Sound |
| Heather Haldane as Producer. | Production |
| Mary Young Leckie as Producer. | Production |
| Valanne Ridgeway as Production Design. | Art |
| Jane Manchee as Set Decoration. | Art |
Where the Spirit Lives (33 years)
A moving tribute to a young girl's courage and indomitable spirit...
- Release day: Wednesday, June 06, 1990
- Runtime: 96 minutes