Overview
Date: December 3, 2025
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET
Language: English
Format: Hybrid
Location: De Grandpré Communications Centre, The Neuro (3801 University Street, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4), and online via Zoom
Audience: Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous students, staff and faculty, individuals with living and lived experience, researchers, clinicians, healthcare and community professionals, trainees, educators, and family members.
About
Join us for a special screening of They Are Sacred, presented in partnership between the McGill University Office of Indigenous Initiatives, the Transforming Autism Care Consortium (TACC), and the Canadian Neurodevelopmental Research Training Platform (CanNRT).
Directed by Kim O’Bomsawin, They Are Sacred follows young Anders (Sacred Buffalo Child) and his father, Grant Bruno (Yellow Horse) of the Samson Cree Nation. Dr. Bruno, Assistant Professor in Pediatrics at the University of Alberta, challenges deficit-based views of autism and reclaims neurodiversity as a sacred gift through Cree teachings and traditions.
Through the story of one family’s journey, the film invites us to reflect on the many ways culture, identity, and knowledge shape our understanding of neurodiversity. This screening, which will be followed by a discussion, creates space individuals to come together, listen, exchange perspectives, and consider how diverse ways of knowing can guide more inclusive and culturally grounded approaches to care and research.
About the Film
Director: Kim O’Bomsawin
Screenwriters: Widia Larivière, Florence Migneault, Kim O’Bomsawin
Production company: Nikan Productions Inc.
Producer: Andrée-Anne Frenette
Distributor: Maison 4:3
Within Indigenous cultures, differences were not traditionally seen as a handicap, but rather as a strength that could benefit the entire community. Such is the case with autistic people, considered to have unique gifts and connections to the spirit world. While our people are currently reclaiming our traditional knowledge and philosophies, we are also facing a severe lack of resources adapted to our new reality.
Through intimate encounters with Anders, They Are Sacred gives viewers unique access to the world of an autistic child, and to follow his father’s journey to bring back traditional First Nations perspectives in our contemporary world.
Acknowledgment
We acknowledge The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) for providing the space and supporting this event as a cross-promotional partner.
Questions?
Contact: Pasha Partridge, Indigenous Representation and Events Officer of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, McGill University, at pasha.partridge@mcgill.ca