Heavily inspired by true events, Resilience explores the quiet ways intergenerational trauma can live inside a family, especially when silence becomes a form of survival. The film examines how difficult it can be to break a cycle that has affected Indigenous communities for generations.

The film was developed with Wanda Barker, an Anishinaabe translator, educator, writer, and actor, whose guidance brought a deeper level of cultural authenticity and emotional truth to the project. We also worked with local youth from two of the largest First Nations reserves in Ontario, Canada, casting several children and teenagers who had never acted before, but brought lived experience and creative insight to the process, on set and in writing.

Beyond the festival circuit, Wanda Barker, who serves on the Board of Directors for Education, has expressed a desire to bring Resilience into school curriculum on her reserve. Given that Resilience was written specifically to connect with teenagers, this potential education use has become an important part of the film’s purpose.