R adio-Canada has unveiled its first-ever drama series written, directed and produced by Indigenous creators: miniseries Pour toi Flora (“For you Flora”).

Composed of six hour-long episodes, the commission between APTN and Radio-Canada written and directed by Sonia Bonspille Boileau and produced by Jason Brennan for Quebec-based Nish Media will examine the legacy of residential schools in Quebec for the first time.

Inspired by the real life experiences of several hundreds of families in the province, the series will follow the story of two Anishinaabeg who are trying to come to terms with their past in the residential school system in the 1960s. Episodes will chronicle periods of their lives as well as their family members.

Cast members currently attached include Dominique Pétin, Marco Collin, Virginie Fortin, Samian and Mylène St-Sauveur, Antoine Pilon, Théodore Pellerin and Eve Ringuette, among others.

Set to be partly shot in Algonquin territory with the support of the Kitigan-Zibi Indigenous community in the fall of 2021 and winter of 2022.

The series is expected to premiere on ICI Tou.TV Extra next year, before its linear TV debut on ICI TÉLÉ, followed by APTN, which holds the second-window broadcasting rights for the show. It will also be presented in a French-subtitled Anishinaabemowin, followed by a French version.

Notably, extensive on-location casting for a number of roles will also be conducted in Indigenous communities, with the complete cast to be announced at a later date, according to a press release.

“This is undeniably a historic occasion and something we’re quite proud of. We’ve been hoping to announce news of this drama series created and produced by Indigenous talent for two years now, but shooting was delayed by the pandemic,” Radio-Canada GM, television, Dany Meloul said in a statement, adding that Pour toi Flora is a huge step towards its goal of better reflecting the diversity of experience of all Canadians in our scripted content.

Boileau and Brennan have previously worked together on a number of projects such as Boileau’s feature film Rustic Oracle and Nish Media docuseries Skindigenous.