When single mom Lena (Gee) realizes that her daughter (Eyre) is in danger of succumbing to the same addiction issues she herself faced, she decides to take her daughter and leave the city to return home to her estranged mother (Podemski) in the rural Indigenous community of her youth. The homecoming forces Lena to deal with her past and raises issues that test all three generations of this family of spirited women. Powerful and inspiring, Empire of Dirt was nominated for five Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Picture.
Empire of Dirt
drama / indigenous
Empire of Dirt
“Empire of Dirt tells a traditional mothers-and-daughters story in a new way by making their Cree heritage and the role it has in their lives and relationships the true heart of the drama.” — Linda Barnard, The Toronto Star
Peter Stebbings
A longtime film and TV actor, Stebbings made his directing debut with Defendor, which was nominated for four Genie Awards, including Best Screenplay.
Jennifer Podemski
Jennifer Podemski is an award-winning film and television producer and actor with a career spanning over 25 years. She is the creator and producer of APTN’s famed paranormal series The Other Side.
Director
Peter Stebbings
Producer
Jennifer Podemski (Saulteaux)
Writer
Shannon Masters (Cree)
Starring
Jennifer Podemski (Saulteaux), Cara Gee (Ojibwa), Shay Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho/Oglala Lakota/Mnicoujou Lakota)
Year
2013
Length
99 min
Rating
14A
LANGUAGE
English
SUBTITLES
None
DUBBING
None
