''Finding Dawn'' is a 2006

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

filmmaker

Christine Welsh Christine Welsh is a Métis Canadian filmmaker, feminist and retired associate professor at the University of Victoria. Early life Welsh was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. She is the great-grand-daughter of Norbert Welsh, the famous M ...

looking into the fate of an estimated 500 Canadian Aboriginal women who have been murdered or have gone missing over the past 30 years.

Subject

The film begins with the story of Dawn Crey: one of 60 women, a third of them Aboriginal, who have disappeared from

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Downtown Eastside The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is a list of neighbourhoods in Vancouver, neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, the DTES is the site of a complex set of social issues, including disproportio ...

over a 20-year period. Crey's remains were among those found on the property of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

serial killer

Robert Pickton Robert William Pickton (October 24, 1949 – May 31, 2024), also known as the Pig Farmer Killer or the Butcher, was a Canadian serial killer and pig farmer. After dropping out of school, he left a butcher's apprenticeship to begin working full- ...

. However, not enough of Dawn's DNA was found to list her as one of the murder victims at the trial. The film introduces viewers to Dawn's sister and brother, and their involvement in the annual

Women's Memorial March The Women's Memorial March is an annual event held every February 14th to honor missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) across Canada and the United States. The event also serves as a protest against class disparity, racism, ine ...

in Vancouver. The film then focuses on BC's Highway 16, known as the

Highway of Tears The Highway of Tears is a corridor of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Canada, which has been the location of crimes against many women, beginning in 1970 when the highway was completed. The phrase was ...

, which runs between

Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 12, ...

and

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is a city in British Columbia, Canada, situated at the confluence of the Fraser River, Fraser and Nechako River, Nechako rivers. The city itself has a population of 76,708; the metro census agglomeration has a population of 89,490 ...

, looking at the fate of Ramona Wilson. Wilson was one of nine women – all but one of them Native – who have gone missing or been murdered on that stretch of road since the 1990s. Welsh also filmed in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, where a woman named Daleen Kay Bosse disappeared in 2004. She went missing in May but a criminal investigation didn't begin until the following January. In the film, Daleen's parents and friends talk about their difficulty in getting Saskatoon police to take Daleen's disappearance seriously. Native rights activists Janice Acoose and Fay Blaney are interviewed in the film. Christine Welsh has produced, written and directed films for more than 30 years. She is an associate professor at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

, where she teaches courses in indigenous women's studies and indigenous cinema.

Impact

''Finding Dawn'' is referenced in the later 2015 documentary ''

'', which notes its impact on native viewers.

References

External links

Watch ''Finding Dawn'' at NFB.caWomen Make Movies
* {{Discrimination against Indigenous peoples in Canada 2006 films Documentary films about violence against women English-language Canadian films National Film Board of Canada documentaries Documentary films about First Nations Feminism in British Columbia Documentary films about Vancouver Métis film Documentary films about Indigenous rights in Canada Documentary films about crime in Canada Highway of Tears Violence against Indigenous women in Canada Women and death 2006 documentary films Métis feminism Murder in British Columbia 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films English-language documentary films

Subject

Impact

See also

References

External links