La Ronge filmmaker Danis Goulet’s first feature film has been nominated for 11 Canadian Screen Awards.
Night Raiders is a futuristic thriller about an Indigenous mother trying to save her child from being taken by the state.
In an earlier interview with MBC, Goulet explained the film was partly based on Canada’s residential school system.
The film is up for best motion picture, achievement in makeup, achievement in costume, best performance by an actress in a leading role, achievement in sound mixing, achievement in video effects and achievement in casting.
Gail Maurice, an actress from Beauval, is up for performance by an actress in a supporting role.
Goulet said this nomination was really special to her.
“She speaks almost entirely in Cree (during) the whole movie, so for the industry to recognize that was really emotional.”
Goulet herself is up for best direction, best first feature film, and best original screenplay. Goulet said she found writing difficult as she doesn’t consider herself a writer, “first and foremost.” But, she said she did write the film because she saw the storyline was missing from Canadian screens.
“I just really wrote this story because I didn’t see it being created anywhere so it was sort of like, ‘I guess I’m going to have to be the one to write this,’” she said. “But writing was really challenging so the best screenplay nomination was also really exciting.”
The awards show will be held on Apr. 10.
(PHOTO: Night Raiders was Danis Goulet’s first feature film and it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall. File photo.)