Little Bird (TV series) explained
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]
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
- Darla Contois as Bezhig Little Bird/Esther Rosenblum, a young woman born on the Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan. Although her family is devoted and loving, Bezhig and two of her siblings are apprehended by Child Protection Services after an incident with Bezhig, her brother Niizh, and the police. Bezhig is ultimately adopted by an affluent Jewish family in Montreal, eventually completing law school and becoming engaged to David, a doctor. Despite her accomplishments, Bezhig still struggles to be accepted by David's family, which eventually spurs her to seek out her birth family in Saskatchewan.
- Lisa Edelstein as Golda Rosenblum, Bezhig/Esther's adopted mother. Now divorced, Golda is shown to be somewhat withdrawn and skeptical of middle class society.
- Ellyn Jade as Patti Little Bird, the birth mother of Bezhig and her siblings. Although initially soft-spoken and gentle, Patti is forced to fight to try to regain custody of her three younger children.
- Osawa Muskwa as Morris Little Bird, Bezhig's birth father. On the day his three younger children are apprehended, Morris has taken his elder son Leo on his first hunt. Morris is shown to be a devoted and protective husband and father.
- Joshua Odjick as Niizh, the younger Little Bird son who is apprehended with his sisters.
- Imajyn Cardinal as Dora Mueller, Bezhig's younger sister who is adopted into a strict family in Saskatchewan; she tells Esther/Bezhig she has run away from home.
- Braeden Clarke as Leo Little Bird, Bezhig's elder brother. On the day his siblings are apprehended, Leo goes on his first hunt with his father.
- Janet Kidder as Jeannie, a senior case worker with Child Protective Services who has the younger Little Bird children apprehended. She is seen to be unwavering in her belief that she is saving indigenous children by removing them from their families and easily equates the Little Bird home's modesty and traditional parenting with neglect.
- Alanna Bale as Adele, a trainee case worker under Jeannie when the Little Bird children are apprehended. Adele is disturbed by Jeannie's methods and mentality, but rarely voices this.
- Eric Schweig as Asin
- Michelle Thrush as Brigit
Episodes
, 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.[4]
Accolades
| + List of awards and nominations |
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result | |
|---|
| 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 Rutter | | [5] |
| Best Direction, Drama Series; episode: Love is all Around | Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers | | |
| Best Direction, Drama Series; episode Bineshi Kwe | Zoe Hopkins | | [6] |
| Best Lead Performer, Drama Series | Darla Contois | | |
| Best Lead Performer, Drama Series | Ellyn Jade | | |
| Best Guest Performance, Drama Series | Imajyn Cardinal | | |
| Best Supporting Performer, Drama Series | Braeden Clarke | | |
| Best Ensemble Performance, Drama | Darla Contois, Ellyn Jade, Osawa Muskwa, Lisa Edelstein, Michelle Thrush, Braeden Clarke, Imajyn Cardinal, Joshua Odjick | | |
| Best Achievement in Casting, Fiction | Lisa Parasyn, Carmen Kotyk | | | |
Notes and References
- David Friend, "Sixties Scoop drama 'Little Bird' among May streaming highlights" . Toronto Star, May 1, 2023.
- Greg David, "Bell Media announces English and French-language original programming orders and renewals for 2021/22 season" . TV, eh?, June 10, 2021.
- Cassandra Szklarski, "‘60s Scoop grief and Holocaust trauma entwine in limited series ‘Little Bird’" . Toronto Star, May 25, 2023.
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-documentary-coming-home-sixties-scoop-1.6893839 "Documentary features impacts of Sixties Scoop on Indigenous families"
- Web site: Vlessing . Etan . 2024-05-31 . ‘BlackBerry,’ ‘Little Bird’ Dominate Canadian Screen Awards . 2024-06-10 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
- Web site: Yeo . Debra . 2024-03-07 . Sixties Scoop drama Little Bird earns the most 2024 Canadian Screen Awards nominations . 2024-06-10 . Toronto Star . en.
