Where the Spirit Lives 34 years old

A moving tribute to a young girl's courage and indomitable spirit...

In 1937, a young First Nations (Canadian native) girl named Ashtecome is kidnapped along with several other children from a village as part of a deliberate Canadian policy to force First Nations children to abandon their culture in order to be assimilated into white Canadian/British society. She is taken to a boarding school where she is forced to adopt Western Euro-centric ways and learn English, often under brutal treatment. Only one sympathetic white teacher who is more and more repelled by this bigotry offers her any help from among the staff. That, with her force of will, Ashtecome (forced to take the name Amelia) is determined to hold on to her identity and that of her siblings, who were also abducted.

Credits

Where the Spirit Lives Cast

Name Character
Graham Greene He was 85, 86 years old when he died as Komi's Father
David Hemblen He was 9, now 24 years old as Reverend Buckley
Chapelle Jaffe as Miss Appleby
Ron White He was 33, now 68 years old as Taggart
Sean Mulcahy as Priest
Heather Hess as Rachel
Doris Petrie She was 72, 82 years old when she died as Miss Weir
Sam Malkin as Mr. Crawford
Ann-Marie MacDonald She was 31, now 66 years old as Kathleen
Michelle St. John as Komi / Amelia
Tina Louise Bomberry She was 24, 52 years old when she died as Asst. Supervisor #2
Barbara Wheeldon as Matron
Marianne Jones as Komi's Mother
John Friesen He was 39, now 73 years old as Mr. Babcock
Patricia Collins She was 38, now 72 years old as Mrs. Barrington
Sarah Williams She was 30, 92 years old when she died as Ruth

Where the Spirit Lives Crew

Name Department
Rene O'Hashi as Director of Photography. Camera
Scott Shepherd as Producer. He was 37 (now 71) years old Production
Bruce Pittman as Director. He was 40 (now 74) years old Directing
Arlene Berman as Casting. Production
Keith Ross Leckie as Writer. Writing
Eric Jordan as Producer. Production
Paul Stephens as Executive Producer. He was 3 (now 37) years old Production
Buffy Sainte-Marie as Music. She was 49 (now 83) years old Sound
Heather Haldane as Producer. Production
Mary Young Leckie as Producer. Production
Valanne Ridgeway as Production Design. Art
Jane Manchee as Set Decoration. Art
Where the Spirit Lives poster
Where the Spirit Lives (34 years)

A moving tribute to a young girl's courage and indomitable spirit...

  • Release day: Wednesday, June 06, 1990
  • Runtime: 96 minutes