"The announcement comes in the wake of President Biden's historic apology to Native Americans for the government's role in the U.S. boarding school system," says the studio.
The film is a "tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life," investigating the cycles of intergenerational trauma and the abuse and death at an Indian residential school in Canada. "Sugarcane" highlights the endurance of the Native community and "the love that endures within their families."
Indigenous actress Lily Gladstone is an executive producer and a granddaughter of a boarding school survivor.
"Directors Kassie and NoiseCat attended the president's speech at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona on Friday, Oct. 25, and said, 'The President's formal apology to survivors and their families is a real testament to the significance of what happened to children at Native American Boarding Schools and Indian Residential Schools in the U.S. and Canada. This is a foundational story for North America so it's such an honor for "Sugarcane" to be part of the conversation at this moment, pushing it forward and acting as a catalyst for dialogue.'"
"Sugarcane" will premiere on National Geographic Monday, December 9, at 9/8c and stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of National Geographic, Disney+, Hulu and this ABC station.