Traditional First Nations story of 3 sisters at heart of student garden at Sisler High School
Indigenous teachings about collaboration are focus of new short film
At Winnipeg's Sisler High School, Julie Delorme is on a mission to grow young minds and plants — at the same time.
Delorme, who is Sisler's Indigenous graduation coach, talks with young people at the North End school's student-led garden about "the three sisters."
In the story, the sisters — corn, beans and squash — come to the aid of a family who doesn't have enough food.
Delorme's telling of the story and the student garden are at the heart of a new short film.
The film, which is the work of three Sisler students in the Create program — an entertainment arts training program for students at the school — follows Delorme as she integrates Indigenous teachings into the curriculum.
"We are learning another source of pride in our culture, together," said Delorme. "This is what education needs to be."
Her responsibility as an educator, she said, is "to bring in Indigenous perspectives in a way that is … honouring the beautiful perspectives from our ancestors."
Meet the filmmakers
The filmmakers behind The Three Sisters are all students of the Sisler Create program, which trains high school and post-high school students in animation, film, game design, virtual reality, digital design and other digital media. You can follow the program on Instagram @sislercreate or on Twitter @SislerCreate.
Angeline Javier (producer/ director/editor)
Angeline Javier is an aspiring filmmaker and recent graduate of Sisler High School's Create program. She has worked on both narrative and documentary films this past year, and is interested in telling stories that shed light on underrepresented voices and issues.
Takyra Molloy (animator)
Takyra Molloy is an aspiring motion graphics artist/animator and recent graduate of Sisler High School's Create program. She has worked on motion graphics, 3D animation and film projects this past year. She is interested in creating projects that help others.
Margaux Jonson (artist)
Margaux Jonson is an aspiring concept artist and a student at Sisler High School. She is focused on developing her art skills and understanding before pursuing more projects such as this one. She is also interested in being able to create and bring people's stories to life through a visual narrative.
CBC Creator Network is a national storytelling initiative that amplifies the voices, unique perspectives and stories of diverse creators across Canada. We work with emerging storytellers to help produce original content including short films, social videos, photo series, personal essays, audio essays, illustrations, and animation.
Check out Creator Network Manitoba projects here.