Crave and APTN’s limited series, Little Bird, is premiering on May 26 and follows an inspirational journey of self-discovery and truth.
“From Crave, APTN, Rezolution Pictures, OP Little Bird, and in partnership with global producer and distributor Fremantle,
“The six-part, one-hour limited series explores universal themes of resilience in the face of trauma and loss,” said an April 17 press release.
The series follows Bezhig Little Bird (Darla Contois) as she embarks on a path to find her birth family and uncover the hidden truth of her family history.
Bezhig Little Bird is adopted into a Montréal Jewish family at age five after being removed from her home in Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan, becoming Esther Rosenblum. Now in her 20s, Bezhig longs for the family she lost and is willing to sacrifice everything to find them. Her search lands her in the Canadian Prairies, worlds apart from everything she knows. As she begins to track down her siblings, she unravels the mystery behind her adoption and discovers that her apprehension was connected to a racist government policy, now known as the Sixties Scoop. Bezhig’s sense of identity shatters, and she is forced to reckon with who she is and who she wants to become.
The drama features a talented cast of Indigenous actors, including: Ellyn Jade; Osawa Muskwa; Joshua Odjick; Imajyn Cardinal; Braeden Clarke; Eric Schweig; and Michelle Thrush.
“Rounding out the cast is Lisa Edelstein (HOUSE) who plays Esther’s adoptive mother, Golda Rosenblum,” said the release.
Little Bird is the recent winner of the 2023 Series Mania Festival’s Audience Award Prize. The drama was filmed in and around Winnipeg and Brokenhead Ojibway Nation on Treaty 1 territory and in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation on Treaty 2 territory.
Little Bird show runner Jennifer Podemski was also recently presented with an Academy Board Of Directors’ Tribute Award at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards.
Led by an Indigenous creative team, Little Bird is developed by Podemski and Rezolution Pictures, and created by Podemski and head writer Hannah Moscovitch. The creative team includes directors Zoe Hopkins and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and was written by Hopkins and Moscovitch.
The production of Little Bird featured a training program that included opportunities for emerging and mid-career level Indigenous creators and crew. Built with the understanding that training, skill building, and professional development are integral to building capacity and sustainability in the Indigenous screen sector, the program was made possible via partnerships with the Indigenous Screen Office, Bell Media, REEL Canada, DGC, and DGC Manitoba.
