The feature film version of Marie Clements’ hybrid Bones of Crows project has been acquired by U.S. streaming service Hulu.

Written, directed and produced by Métis and Dene filmmaker Clements, the film became available to U.S. audiences on Hulu on Nov. 19 in honour of Native American Heritage Month.

Bones of Crows had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, while the limited series premiered in September 2023 on CBC, Radio-Canada and APTN.

Bones of Crows is produced by Ayasew Ooskana Pictures with Marie Clements Media, Screen Siren Pictures and Grana Productions, all based in B.C. Alongside Clements, the other producers are Screen Siren’s Trish Dolman and Christine Haebler. Sam Grana, Aaron Gilbert, Screen Siren’s Steven Thibault and Elevation Pictures’ Noah Segal are executive producers, while Leena Minifie and Kerriann Cardinal are associate producers. Toronto’s Elevation Pictures is the Canadian distributor while L.A.-based Fifth Season is distributing internationally.

Bones of Crows stars Grace Dove (Alaska Daily), Phillip Forest Lewitski (Wildhood), Rémy Girard (District 31), Karine Vanasse (Cardinal), Alyssa Wapanatâhk (Peter Pan), Michelle Thrush (Prey), Gail Maurice (Night Raiders), Cara Gee (The Expanse) and Joshua Odjick (Little Bird). Spanning a century, the film follows a Cree matriarch as she survives a childhood in Canada’s residential school system to continue her family’s generational fight in the face of systemic starvation, racism and sexual abuse.

Among other accolades, the film took home 10 trophies at the 2023 Leo Awards and the series received two awards at the 2024 DGC Awards.

Bones of Crows was funded by Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund, Indigenous Screen Office, APTN, Radio-Canada, Rogers Telefund, Independent Production Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund, Bell Fund, Creative BC, First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Cultural Council and Indigenous Arts Program, the BC Arts Council as well as provincial and federal tax credits.

Image courtesy of Elevation Pictures; Photo by Farah Nosh