Film about residential school survivor and pro skateboarder is executive produced by Tony Hawk
Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk is a now an executive producer for a film about a residential school survivor.
The Vancouver-made film Joe Buffalo was released earlier this month.
The short film chronicles the life of Joe Buffalo, who survived residential school and went on to become a professional skateboarder. The first to do so.
"It was no straight shot trajectory, there was a lot of suffering," said Buffalo in an interview with CTV News Vancouver.
At the age of 11, Buffalo was taken from his home on the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, Alta., and placed in a residential school.
"You’re put in these institutions and it's like a prison for kids, man," Buffalo said.
The movie, made by filmmaker Amar Chebib, highlights Buffalo’s struggles with intergenerational trauma and his battle to become sober.
“Pre-contact native people, we didn’t know what alcohol was, we didn’t know what drugs were, that was brought to us,” said Buffalo.
"I thought I was a write-off, I thought the alcohol had fully consumed me and that drugs was the only way to go, why not just numb the pain?"
Buffalo is now sober but says it’s a battle he’ll fight forever.
“Just cause I don’t drink alcohol doesn’t mean I’m not an alcoholic, just because I kicked dope doesn’t mean I’m not an addict,” he said.
The story was powerful enough to catch the eye of the sport’s most iconic figure. Hawk wasn’t involved in the making of the film but came on board afterwards.
“He plucks out all the positive in skateboarding in the world and he shines a light on it,” Buffalo said.
“He's a saint in my eyes."
The film can be watched for free online on the New Yorker Youtube channel.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.