Tasha Hubbard (Singing Back the Buffalo; pictured left) has wrapped on her narrative feature directorial debut with Birth of a Family, an adaption of her 2017 documentary of the same name.

The film is co-written by Hubbard and Emil Sher. It is produced by Tyler Hagan of Vancouver-based Experimental Forest Films and Julia Rosenberg from Toronto-based January Films Brittany Ryan and January Films’ Amanda Gauvin Allen are associate producers while Betty Ann Adam, journalist and subject of the original documentary, is an executive producer.

Birth of a Family was shot over 21 days in Golden, B.C., Banff, Alta. and Calgary. Production wrapped on Nov. 28. The film is distributed by Mongrel Media and is slated for a 2025 release.

The film stars Michael Greyeyes (40 Acres; pictured right), Carmen Moore (The Flash), Alex Rice (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) and Michelle Thrush (Bones of Crows). Birth of a Family follows four Cree siblings, separated as babies through the Sixties Scoop, that agree to meet in Banff over a holiday weekend.

“The story has lived in my head since I made the original documentary,” said Hubbard in a statement. “To have the opportunity to make my first drama with this particular story of reconnection and belonging is beyond rewarding.”

Birth of a Family was financed by Telefilm Canada, the Indigenous Screen Office, the Canada Media Fund, Creative BC and Ontario Creates. The film’s broadcast partners include Crave, CBC and APTN.

Image courtesy of Birth of a Family; photo by Elora Braden