Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child (1999) dir. Alanis Obomsawin

Richard Cardinal died by his own hand at the age of 17, having spent most of his life in a string of foster homes and shelters across Alberta. In this short documentary, Abenaki director Alanis Obomsawin weaves excerpts from Richards diary into a powerful tribute to his short life. Released in 1984decades before the Truth and Reconciliation Commissionthe film exposed the systemic neglect and mistreatment of Indigenous children in Canadas child welfare system. Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the 1986 American Indian Film Festival, the film screened at New Yorks Museum of Modern Art in 2008 as part of an Obomsawin retrospective, and continues to be shown around the world.