Little Bird (TV series)

Last updated

Little Bird
Country of originCanada
Original release
Network
ReleaseMay 26, 2023 (2023-05-26)

Little Bird is a Canadian drama television series, which premiered on Crave and APTN lumi on May 26, 2023. [1] Created by Jennifer Podemski and Hannah Moscovitch with the participation of Jeremy Podeswa as an executive producer, the series centres on a First Nations woman who was adopted into a Jewish family during the Sixties Scoop, as she attempts to reconnect with her birth family and heritage. [2]

Contents

The series stars Darla Contois as Esther Rosenblum/Bezhig Little Bird, alongside Ellyn Jade, Osawa Muskwa, Joshua Odjick, Imajyn Cardinal, Mathew Strongeagle, Eric Schweig, Lisa Edelstein, Braeden Clarke and Michelle Thrush in supporting roles, with episodes directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Zoe Hopkins. [3]

The series was created concurrently with, but separately from, the drama series Unsettled .

Distribution

The series, the first original drama series to be commissioned by Crave since its rebranding from The Movie Network in 2018, is distributed by Crave, APTN, and APTN Lumi. [2]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [4] Canada viewers
(millions)
1"Love is all Around" Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers Hannah Moscovitch May 26, 2023 (2023-05-26)N/A

This episode cuts back and forth between the day she was taken from her family in 1968 and her engagement party in 1985.

1968, Long Pine Reserve, Saskatchewan: Bezhig Little Bird lives with her parents and three siblings. While her father and eldest brother, Leo, are out hunting, her youngest sister Dora falls ill. She is with her brother Niizh when he accidentally breaks the windshield of a police car while playing with a slingshot. They are apprehended by the police and social service workers are brought to inspect their home. They find the living conditions inadequate, and the children are removed from their home and brought to an orphanage.

1985, Montreal: Bezhig, now known as Esther Rosenblum, is celebrating her engagement to her fiance, David. She was adopted by a Jewish family residing in Montreal, and is completing her first year of law school. During the party, she is praised by family members for her academic success, and makes a toast thanking her family and her fiance. She overhears her future mother-in-law making racist comments about her, and leaves the party early, comforted by her adoptive mother Golda.
2"So Put Together" Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers Hannah Moscovitch June 2, 2023 (2023-06-02)N/A
3"The Land that Takes You"UnknownUnknownJune 9, 2023 (2023-06-09)N/A
4"Burning Down The House"UnknownUnknownJune 16, 2023 (2023-06-16)N/A
5"I Want My Mom"UnknownUnknownJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)N/A
6"Bineshi Kwe"UnknownUnknownJune 30, 2023 (2023-06-30)N/A

Coming Home: Wanna Icipus Kupi , a documentary film profiling the real-life stories of actual Sixties Scoop survivors, was released on June 30 concurrently with the final episode of the series. [5]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
YearAwardCategoryRecipientsResultRef.
2024

12th Canadian Screen Awards

Best Drama Series Jennifer Podemski, Hannah Moscovitch, Christina Fon, Ernest Webb, Catherine Bainbridge, Linda Ludwick, Kim Todd, Nicholas Hirst, Zoe Hopkins, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Jeremy Podeswa, Christian Vesper, Dante Di Loreto, Tanya Brunel, Jessica Dunn, Claire MacKinnon, Philippe Chabot, Lori Lozinski, Ellen RutterWon [6]
Best Direction, Drama Series; episode: Love is all AroundElle-Máijá TailfeathersWon [6]
Best Direction, Drama Series; episode Bineshi KweZoe HopkinsNominated [7]
Best Lead Performer, Drama SeriesDarla ContoisWon [6]
Best Lead Performer, Drama SeriesEllyn JadeNominated [7]
Best Guest Performance, Drama SeriesImajyn CardinalNominated
Best Supporting Performer, Drama SeriesBraeden ClarkeWon [6]
Best Ensemble Performance, DramaDarla Contois, Ellyn Jade, Osawa Muskwa, Lisa Edelstein, Michelle Thrush, Braeden Clarke, Imajyn Cardinal, Joshua OdjickWon [6]
Best Achievement in Casting, Fiction Lisa Parasyn, Carmen KotykWon [6]

References

  1. David Friend, "Sixties Scoop drama 'Little Bird' among May streaming highlights" Archived 2023-05-03 at the Wayback Machine . Toronto Star , May 1, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Greg David, "Bell Media announces English and French-language original programming orders and renewals for 2021/22 season" Archived 2021-10-17 at the Wayback Machine . TV, eh?, June 10, 2021.
  3. Cassandra Szklarski, "‘60s Scoop grief and Holocaust trauma entwine in limited series ‘Little Bird’" Archived 2023-05-30 at the Wayback Machine . Toronto Star , May 25, 2023.
  4. "Little Bird - Episode Guide". Zap2It . Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  5. "Documentary features impacts of Sixties Scoop on Indigenous families". CBC News Manitoba, June 30, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vlessing, Etan (May 31, 2024). "'BlackBerry,' 'Little Bird' Dominate Canadian Screen Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Yeo, Debra (March 7, 2024). "Sixties Scoop drama Little Bird earns the most 2024 Canadian Screen Awards nominations". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 10, 2024.