The Knowing

With lush cinematography and evocative storytelling, Anishinaabe journalist Tanya Talaga embarks on a deeply personal search to find out what happened to her great-great-grandmother in The Knowing.

Co-directors Talaga and Kanien’kehá:ka filmmaker Courtney Montour (Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again) use archival footage and intimate interviews to piece together the unknown story of Talaga’s family member, Annie Carpenter. In the first two parts of the four-episode docuseries, they skillfully illustrate how hard it is for Indigenous families to get answers from authorities, especially about those who have entered the residential school or Indian hospital systems.

Armed with a collection of historical documents, Talaga meets previously unknown relatives, discovers her new homelands, and deepens her knowledge about her family’s history. Journeying from the fly-in Northern Ontario community of Peetabeck (Fort Albany First Nation) to Toronto and beyond, The Knowing weaves together residential school history, the Canada-wide recognition of unmarked graves — beginning with Kamloops — and the personal history of Talaga’s family.

Understanding that stories like these are not an anomaly, the series makes room for others also searching for their loved ones. This includes stepping back into painful memories and personal experiences, like when Talaga’s friend and Ontario MPP Sol Mamakwa revisits the residential school he once attended.

This beautiful and touching series puts names and faces to an 80-year-old mystery and, in doing so, takes us on an emotional journey of familial reclamation and an exploration of Canada’s true history.

KELLY BOUTSALIS

The topics addressed in this film may inspire strong emotional responses. An Active Listener — someone who is empathetic, trauma-informed, and ready to hear from you — will be onsite for both public screenings to provide support for attendees if needed. For more information, click here.